


you're just a child of heartbreak

by rileyhart



Series: in any version of reality, i'd find you, and i'd choose you [4]
Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Single Parent AU, Slow Burn, our kids are best friends au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2019-11-21 08:52:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18140060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rileyhart/pseuds/rileyhart
Summary: single parents jake and amy meet and become close when their daughters start first grade and become best friends.





	1. september.

**Author's Note:**

> wow! me writing a multi chap au! unheard of! let's see how this goes. (title from a heartbreak by angus & julia stone)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jake and amy meet, and their girls have a playdate.

**_September._ **

 

Amy Santiago arrives half an hour early to pick her daughter up from her first day at school - and that’s the way she likes it.

Her schedule as an art history professor at Columbia gives her a couple of afternoons off a week, but she’d made sure today worked specifically.

She waits in the car till the five minute mark before she goes over to wait at by the playground, which is the spot they’d preassigned for pick up that morning.

The bell goes and the children rush out excitedly. A small girl with dark hair runs at Amy, hand in hand with another girl. Melissa hugs her mother around the middle.

“Mom! Mom!”

“Hey, Mel, how was your day?”

“Oh, it was just the best, Mom! I love our teacher, she’s so nice!” Melissa replies ecstatically.

“That’s wonderful, honey, and who’s this?” Amy asks, gesturing the other girl.

“Oh, this is Andi with an ‘I’, my new best friend.” Melissa introduces her. “Andi, this is my mom, Amy. She’s a college professor.”

Andi smiles up at Amy from under a tangle of black hair, revealing a large, gappy smile.

“Can we go play on the playground till Andi’s dad gets here?” Melissa asks her mom.

“Oh, your dad’s not here yet?” Amy asks the girl.

Andi shakes her head. “Nah, he said he might be a bit late. He’ll be here soon though.”

The girls run onto the playground, joining another group of children, and Amy watches them affectionately, relieved that Melissa has made friends so easily.

Less than ten minutes later a man wanders up next to Amy and calls out to the playground. “Andi!”

Andi leaps up from the playground and flies into her father’s arms. “Dad!”

Amy smiles at the two of them.

“How was your day?” He asks, squatting down to her level.

“Great!” Andi says happily. “I made looaaads of friends!”

Her dad ruffles her hair, grinning back at her.

“Can I keep playing on the playground for a bit, Dad?” Andi asks him.

“Yeah, of course you can, kiddo. Go crazy!”

“Thanks, Dad!” She chirps, running back to Melissa.

Amy waits a moment before turning to the man. “You’re Andi’s Dad?” She asks him.

“The one and only!” He replies.

“My daughter introduced Andi as her new best friend,” Amy tells him.

“Aw, really?” He looks over at the girls playing. “That’s great, I’m glad she’s making friends.”

Amy lets out a small laugh. “Yeah, me too.”

He turns back to Amy and holds out his hand, smiling. “I’m Jake, by the way.”

Amy tries to ignore how handsome he is. “Amy,” she shakes his hand.

Jake tilts his head and looks at her, impressed. “You have a very strong handshake,” he tells her, amused.

“Oh, I took a seminar.”

“ _Where?_ ”

* * *

Amy and Jake run into each other a few more times at pick up over the next two weeks, and and once at pick up for after school care. He seems fun and easy going, always making Amy laugh. She watches him with Andi and can tell what a good dad he is - how much she cares. Sometimes she wonders if Melissa is missing out on that.

* * *

She’s running late to pick up Melissa - and by late she means she’ll just make it for 6PM, which is when aftercare finishes.

She pulls in at 5:59 and rushes to sign Melissa out, expecting her to be the last one left.

“Sorry, I’m here, I’m here,” she says, entering the room.

Melissa is sitting on the floor braiding Andi’s hair.

“Hey Mom!” She says, her hair in two messy braids.

“Hey honey, sorry I’m late,” Amy replies.

“‘S’okay, Andi’s dad isn’t here either,” Melissa says as Amy signs her out, apologising to the tired looking teacher.

“We gotta go, Melissa,” Amy offers her a hand, and Melissa takes it, letting her mom pull her up.

“Can we sign Andi out too? Please, Mom?” Melissa begs her.

“Um, yeah, okay sure, I don’t see why not.”

She turns back to the teacher who shakes her head. “You’re not on the approved list to sign her out, I’m sorry.”

“I know her dad, our kids are best friends. He’ll be here soon. Plus it means you’ll be able to pack up and go home.” Amy points out, and the teacher looks at the two hopeful children, sighing.

“This is highly against protocol but here you go,” the teacher hands the sign out sheet back to Amy.

Amy signs Andi out and the two girls cheer.

They head over to the playground, and Amy gets Andi to recite her dad’s phone number (who apparently taught it to her in the form of a rap) and texts Jake, letting him know what's happening.

She watches the girls and wonders how they still have the energy left to play as they are.

Jake appears fifteen minutes later.

“Thank you, so much.” He tells Amy. “I couldn’t get away at work. It was crazy. I called Sophia but she couldn’t get here either. Seriously I owe you one.”

 _Sophia_. Andi’s mother presumably. Amy looks at his left hand. No ring.

“It’s okay, really. Happy to help.” Amy tells him, smiling at his flusteredness.

He turns to the playground, calling out to his daughter. “Andi! Andi, we’ve got to go home!”

The girls giggle and continue to play.

“There was this huge break in my case at work and I just really couldn’t leave. Thanks, again.” Jake says to her.

“Really, it’s fine. You’re a detective, right? Mel was telling me.”

“Yeah, at the ninety-ninth precinct,” he replies.

“No way! I know the captain there! And my best friend is a detective there too!” Amy exclaims.

“Whoa, seriously? You know Holt?”

“Well, know of him, he’s married to a colleague of mine!”

“Kevin? You work at Columbia?”

“Yeah! And I know Rosa, we’ve been friends since high school.”

“That’s crazy! Small world, huh?” Jake smiles at her. “And you know, if you ever need to work, I’d be happy to pick Melissa up after school. Andi’s been begging me for a playdate since the first day. I’d be happy to help out another single parent.” He adds, good naturedly.

Amy frowns at him, not recalling when she’d mentioned that she’s a single parent.

“I- Sorry, Andi mentioned Melissa doesn’t have a dad,” Jake says, reading her face.

“No, that’s okay, I just couldn’t remember telling you,” Amy replies.

“Well for what it’s worth me and Andi’s mom aren’t together, and she seems to be having a good time, I think. And my parents were divorced, and, well… I had a terrible childhood,” he pauses to laugh, “but I like to think Andi’s having a better one.”

Amy smiles at him. “We all like to think that our kids are having better childhoods than we had.”

“That... was very wise,” Jake says, and Amy catches his eye, laughing.

“I should probably go, but message me and we can set up a playdate for the girls. You know what, how about this Sunday, bring Andi over, and then you can over the girls sometime during the week.” She says to him.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll text you.”

They shout out for their kids and head home - the girls buzzing about Sunday.

* * *

Jake drops Andi off at Amy’s that Sunday, and Melissa whisks Andi away to her room before either of the parents can say hi.

“Bye!” Jake calls to the empty hallway, and the two parents laugh together.

“I should be here to pick up around six,” Jake says, “is that okay? I’m doing a shift today so I can have a day during the week off.”

“Yeah, whenever is fine. Just text me to say you’re coming.”

“Thank you,” he passes her a small pink backpack, “this has everything she might possibly need.”

Amy takes it from him.

“Okay, I’ll see you later,” Jake says to her before yelling down the hallway, “ _BYE ANDI!_ ”

There’s a pause, and then, “ _BYE DAD!_ ” Andi shouts back.

Jake and Amy laugh again.

“I’ll see you later, Jake,” Amy says.

The girls happily amuse themselves throughout the day, leaving Amy free to mark essays.

* * *

Five o’clock rolls around and Amy orders pizza, not wanting to inflicting Andi with her poor cooking skills.

Six o’clock comes and Jake texts Amy he’s on his way. She tells him not to rush - the girls are halfway through a movie. He’s there within twenty minutes anyway. Andi hugs him before quickly returning to her spot on the cushions in front of the TV. The girls’ eyes glued on Tangled.

Amy offers Jake a beer and they sit down at the table.

“How was she?” Jake asks, taking a swig of beer.

“A breeze, I barely noticed she was here,” Amy says, “I got so much work done. She’s a great kid.”

Jake smiles, and looks over at Andi. “Yeah I got pretty lucky.” He looks back at Amy. “I can have Melissa over Wednesday after school if that works for you?”

“Oh, yes, that would be perfect. Thank you!”

“Hey, we gotta help each other out,” he points out, smiling.

“Yeah, takes a village. I have seven brothers and they all pitch in from time to time. So I like to think she’s sort of growing up with a dad. Seven different ones.”

“So her dad’s not in the picture at all? Not even a once-every-now-and-then kinda dude?” Jake asks, trying not to sound like he’s prying.

“No, we were only together for a couple months, and it ended badly. He moved to LA to start up some crazy business venture. A week later I find out I’m pregnant. I thought about telling him but…” she looks over at Melissa, enthralled in Rapunzel’s misadventures, “in the end I realised that he was never the dad type. He never wanted kids. He was always very ambitious. It was just easier to decide to do it by myself then to feel like I was forced to, y’know?”

Jake nods at her, understanding.

“I still don’t know if it was the right call. But I have to stick with it. And I like to think I’m doing a good job.” Amy finishes.

“I get that. I was only with Andi’s mom, Sophia, for a few months when we found out she was pregnant. We tried to make it work; we even got engaged at one point. But she left when Andi was three to pursue her career in law. She still sees Andi at least twice a week so that’s something.”

“I just never imagined doing the whole kid thing on my own,” Amy admits to him.

A flicker of a smile crosses Jake’s face, as he takes another drink of his beer. “Yeah, me neither.”

* * *

It’s past eight by the time Jake and Andi leave Amy’s. Andi falls asleep in the car, strapped into her carseat. Her head lolling to the side. She’s had a non-stop day. Jake watches her in the rearview mirror when he stops at red lights, smiling to himself.

He carries Andi up to their apartment when they get home, and she stirs in his arms, the movement waking her.

When she gets into bed she shuts her eyes, yawning. Jake presses a kiss to her forehead.

“Daddy,” she whispers quietly, “how come my mommy isn’t like Melissa’s mommy?”

This catches Jake off guard, and something catches in his throat as he remembers asking this exact question about his father when he was a kid.

“All mommies are different, babe,” he says to her quietly, “and the important thing is that your mom loves you very much, you know that, yeah?”

Andi nods her head sleepily. “I know. I just wish you both lived together like normal mommies and daddies.”

He sits with her until she falls asleep, and when she does he tiptoes out of her room and shuts her door quietly. He leans against the door and feels tears in his eyes.


	2. october.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> amy and sophia take the girls trick or treating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter two is finally here! hope you enjoy!

**_October._ **

 

By the end of September Jake and Amy have a solid routine down pat. Jake takes the girls on Tuesdays and Amy takes them on Thursdays. It saves them both an evening of paying for aftercare, and it means twice a week they get a chance to talk and have a drink together.

Melissa and Andi become practically inseparable, Andi’s mischievous hijinks keep the pair busy, and Melissa’s sensibilities keep them out of too much trouble.

* * *

It’s still the first week of October when Andi and Melissa start bugging their parents about trick or treating.

“Dad, can we go trick or treating with Andi and her mom this year? Pleeease!” Andi asks Jake the first Saturday of October.

Jake’s lounging on the couch in his pyjamas eating dry cereal (he forgot to buy milk) out of a bowl. On the TV Phineas is telling Ferb what they’re going to do today. “It’s seven in the morning,” Jake replies sleepily. “I got up because you said you wanted me to watch Phineas and Ferb with you.”

“ _Pleeeeease Daaaaaaad!_ ”

“Eat your cereal and watch Phineas and Ferb.”

“It’s gross without milk.”

“Since when?!” Jake exclaims. “I always catch you eating it right of the packet!”

“Yeah, it’s gross when it’s for breakfast, not for snack!” Andi rolls her eyes as if this is the most obvious thing in the world.

“Well, have some toast then.”

“We don’t have any butter either,” Andi points out.

Jake sighs. “Okay, we’ll finish this episode and then how about we go to iHOP or something.”

A smile breaks out across Andi’s face. “Yeah!”

She waits till she gets to the promised iHOP before asking the question again. “So, can we go trick or treating with Melissa?”

Jake sighs. “You’ll have to ask your mom. She’s the one who always takes you trick or treating.”

* * *

“Mom, mom, mom!” Melissa jumps up and down on her mother’s bed early in the morning on that same Saturday.

Amy pretends to be asleep but rolls over grabbing Melissa’s legs and pulling her down. Melissa shrieks delightedly, squirming to get out of Amy’s grip.

When she gets free, she slips under Amy’s warm duvet and lies down next to her.

“Mom?”

“Go to sleep, it’s too early.” Amy tells her, her eyes shut.

“You like getting up early.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t gotten more than six hours sleep in months. Mommy needs this, okay?”

There’s silence, as Melissa does her best to abide.

“Mom?” She finally whispers, unable to stop herself.

Amy opens one eye dramatically and Melissa giggles. “Yes?” Amy asks her daughter.

“Can we go trick or treating with Andi this year? Please?” Melissa begs, putting her hands together like she’s praying.

“That’s what you wanted to ask me?”

Melissa nods enthusiastically.

“Halloween’s still a month away.” Amy replies, shutting her eyes again.

Melissa opens her mouth in shock at this statement. “No it’s not!” She says sitting up in bed. “It’s this month, Mom!”

Amy opens her eyes. “Yeah, but it’s only the start of October and Halloween’s at the end.”

“It’s not the start, it’s the fifth! That’s almost the middle!”

“It’s not the middle, if anything it’s the middle of the start, but it’s not mid-October.” Amy tells her.

“Well can Andi come?” Melissa asks, slightly huffily.

“Yeah, I don’t see why not. Now go watch some TV.”

Happily, Melissa skips out the room and down the hallway.

* * *

Every Sunday, Andi spends the day with her mom, and so the next day she asks Sophia about trick or treating.

“Mom, this year can I go trick or treating with my best friend Melissa and her mom, _pleeeease_?” Andi asks while they’re out for lunch.

Sophia has heard of this Melissa but has never met her. “You don’t want me to take you?” She asks, hoping her young daughter doesn’t pick up on the hurt in her voice.

“You can come too. I just want to go with Melissa.”

“Um, okay, I guess I could go with you and your friend. It’d be good to meet her mom since your spending so much time with her.” Sophia replies.

“Really?” Andi asks, her face lighting up.

“Yeah, of course. It’s about having fun, right? This’ll be fun.”

“Yay! Thanks, Mom! I can’t wait to tell Melissa tomorrow! This’ll be the best Halloween ever!”

* * *

“Since I’ll be spending Halloween with Amy, is there anything I should know about this woman?” Sophia asks Jake that evening when he comes to pick Andi up. They’re standing in the doorway to the living room; Andi sitting on the floor watching the TV.

“So you agreed to go trick or treating with her and Melissa?” Jake sounds surprised by this.

“Yeah, well it sounded important to her. Plus, if Melissa is her best friend and she spends some afternoons with Amy I should probably meet her.” Sophia replies.

“That’s great,” Jake says genuinely, but he seems to cut himself short.

“But what?” Sophia asks him.

“But nothing!”

“If you want to say something then you say it.” Sophia presses.

“I’m just surprised that’s all,” Jake admits, “you’ve never met any of her other friends except at birthday parties. I always got the feeling you like to keep her all to herself when you have her.”

“Well I only have her two times a week,” Sophia retaliates, her voice rising slightly, and Andi looks over at this; watching her two parents argue.

“I wasn’t criticising,” Jake says.

“It kinda sounded like you were, Jake.”

“Well, if you want her more than twice a week, you can.”

Sophia opens her mouth to reply to this before closing it, having seconds. “You know how busy my job is Jake.” She replies after a moment.

“You could always take her Saturday nights.” Jake suggests.

“So you can what? Spend time with Amy?”

“Whoa, okay, I don’t know where you got that idea from, but that is not a thing!”

“You see this woman at least twice a week, sorry for being curious,” Sophia says, her tone implying she is anything but sorry.

“Not that it is any of your business, but between raising a kid and being a cop, I haven’t exactly had time to date.” Jake tells her heatedly. “Now, come on!” He calls out to Andi. “It’s time to go home!”

* * *

“Why do you and Mommy always fight?” Andi asks on the drive home.

“What do you mean? We never fight.” Jake lies.

“Yeah, you do. You were fighting just then.” Andi points out.

“That wasn’t a fight, it was an adult argument. Lots of parents have them.”

Andi looks less than pleased with this answer, but she doesn’t follow it up with anymore questions.

* * *

The rest of October passes mostly smoothly, although things between Jake and Sophia remain slightly tense. Jake and Amy continue to enjoy each other’s company; one of them will often bring pizza for all four to share on a night when the other is looking after kids. The girls, needless to say, are very happy with this arrangement.

After weeks of counting down, Halloween comes around, and Andi and Melissa who have been reading and watching Harry Potter over the last two months, dress up as Ginny and Hermione respectively.

Sophia’s neighborhood is notorious for being one of the best areas in Brooklyn when it comes to trick or treating. The best costumes, the most outrageous decorations, and most importantly, the most candy.

Jake, who is working all night, drops Andi off - already in costume - at Sophia’s that afternoon, and Amy comes round only a few hours later.

Andi answers the door excitedly at the sound of the bell, greeting her friend.

“Mom, Mom, Mom! This is Melissa!” Andi introduces them.

“Actually I’m Hermione tonight,” Melissa says in a terrible English accent, trying to hide her giggles.

The girls run off - Andi eager to show Melissa her mother’s large apartment - leaving Amy and Sophia alone.

“I’m guessing you’re Amy,” Sophia says, the hint of a joke in her voice. She offers out a hand and Amy shakes it.

“That would be correct,” Amy smiles back.

“It’s great to finally meet you. Jake’s told me you’ve been really helpful with Andi, thanks for that.”

“Oh, she’s such an easy kid, and Jake helps me back. So it’s a pretty symbiotic relationship,” Amy laughs.

“Well we better head off, before all the good candy goes.” Sophia says.

“Girls!” They both call out.

* * *

Trick or treating with her, Amy finds it easy to see why Jake and Sophia were once together. She has the same goofy humor and laid back demeanor as Jake - she really is like Jake in most aspects, albeit slightly more put together. She also seems to possess a few workaholic qualities, judging by the four phone calls Sophia takes whilst they’re out. “She always does this.” Andi mutters under her breath to Melissa.

The two moms walk slightly behind the two girls, letting them lead the way as they argue happily about who has the most candy.

“Has Andi, ah, mentioned anything to you or Melissa about me?” Sophia asks, changing the subject from their jobs.

Amy frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I just think sometimes she gets upset that me and Jake aren’t together like other parents - well specifically upset at me. The other night when she was meant to stay over at mine, she got all upset because she wanted me to come and stay at Jake’s, and eventually I just had to call Jake and he came and picked her up.”

Amy shakes her head. “She’s never mentioned anything negative about you, unless you count her saying you help bad guys.”

Sophia laughs at this. “That’s Jake putting words into her mouth, that’s for sure.”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Amy reassures her. “Sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing in not telling Melissa’s father about her, but I know she has a good life, and that’s what matters.”

There’s a pause, and the two moms tune into their daughter’s sing-song “Trick or Treat” and thank the people for the candy.

“She actually asked me the other day, if her dad was like Jake.” Amy adds.

“What did you say?” Sophia asks.

“I honestly didn’t know what to say, I just said ‘a little bit’.” This is lie, but Amy can’t tell Sophia that what she actually said to Melissa was ‘Andi has Jake and you have me.’

Sophia smiles half softly, her eyes on Andi. “He’s got his faults but he’s a good dad, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah,” Amy smiles wistfully.

Sophia looks at her suspiciously. “Just… just out of curiosity, you and he aren’t…?”

“No, oh no,” Amy says quickly, her cheeks reddening in the darkness of the crisp air.

“Okay, I was just wondering,” Sophia says lightly, almost laughing. “Because, y’know, it’s totally cool if you do.”

Amy is taken aback by this. “Thanks?” She says uncertainly. “But I’d feel weird about the girls… and anyway, I don’t see Jake in that way.” Amy isn’t sure if the last part is the truth.

“Dating must be hard, having Melissa all the time.”

“Well, yeah, I don’t really date that much. I’m pretty focused on Melissa and my work, and I try to avoid dating fellow parents and colleagues.” Amy tells her.

“So are you on online dating sites or something then?” Sophia asks.

“God no! I’d be too terrified that they’d murder me!” Amy exclaims.

“Then how do you meet people who are neither parents nor coworkers?” Sophia questions her.

“I guess I don’t?”

“I should sign you up for Tinder.”

“God no! I’d be murdered!”

“And then Jake could arrest them - and I could free them!” There’s mischief in Sophia’s eyes - not unlike Andi's - and the two women laugh.

“Well, maybe not Tinder.” Amy half protests.

“Bumble then. Definitely Bumble.” Sophia says firmly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments much appreciated friends! it will definitely inspire me to keep writing the future chapters!


	3. november.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> amy joins the squad for a night out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's chapter 3! it's shorter than the last two but enjoy anyhow!

**_November._ **

 

The nights become longer and the days become cooler as the end of fall approaches and prepares for winter. The girls wait eagerly for the leaves covering the ground to become snow as October passes to November, and the week before December approaches.

Since first meeting back in September, Jake and Amy had been trying organise a time for Amy and Kevin to join the Nine Nine for some sort of social gathering seeing as their work families were interconnecting. But with both Jake and Amy being single parents, and Amy and Kevin’s work schedules conflicting with that of the Nine Nine it had been hard to find a time that worked for the two different work groups.

Late November the Nine Nine pulls off a huge drug bust, and organises celebratory drinks at Shaw’s that Friday. Sophia, who has Andi to stay every other Friday night, agrees to have Melissa for a sleepover that night too.

* * *

“Amy! Kev!” Jake greets Amy and Kevin as they walk into the bar.

“Hey, Jake,” Amy replies.

“Jake, we have discussed this,” says Kevin, “‘Kev’ is not a suitable nickname.”

Jake just grins at him. “Ah, we have fun, don’t we Kev!”

Kevin just sighs, and mutters something about the failing of America.

Captain Holt approaches them. “Kevin,” he says formally, “good to see you.”

“Same goes to you, Raymond.” Kevin says, his manner much the same.

“Y’all are strange,” Jake comments, though Amy thinks it might be one of the most romantic exchanges she’s ever heard.

“Raymond, this is my colleague, Amy Santiago. She teaches Art History. Amy, this is my husband, Captain Raymond Holt.” Kevin introduces.

Amy shakes Holt’s hand, exuberating enthusiasm. “It’s such an honour to meet you, Captain. I’ve heard so much about you. My father was a police captain too. I thought about going into the force myself but I just fell in love with Art History in college.” She’s still shaking his hand as she’s saying this, and Jake is watching on with bemusement.

_ Stop. Gushing. Amy. _ She tells herself.

She drops his hand. “Um, well nice to meet you.” She finishes lamely, hoping Holt doesn’t feel how sweaty her hand is.

“Firm handshake,” Holt nods at her. “Kevin has told me about you, Amy, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Amy can barely contain her joy at the idea of Holt and Kevin talking about her. “Only good things, I hope!” She jokes loudly.

_ Come on, Amy. _

“I hear you attended high school with Detective Diaz,” Holt says as Rosa sidles up to Amy.

“Uh, yes, we did.” Amy replies.

“‘Sup,” Rosa says to her.

“Is it true she used to have pink hair?” Terry calls out from where the rest of the squad is sitting.

Rosa shoots him a fierce look in reply.

“I was hoping she’d hug you or something,” Jake murmurs to Amy as they walk over to sit with the others, and Amy laughs.

“I hugged Rosa when we graduated, and she told me, quote unquote: ‘This is not the time.’”

* * *

Amy is introduced to the rest of the squad.

There is Terry: The sergeant, father of twin girls, and lover of yogurt.

Charles: Food lover and Jake’s self proclaimed best friend.

Hitchcock and Scully, who seem more or less interchangeable to Amy.

And Gina: Undefinable. Well, that’s what she says to Amy, before telling her that pantsuits were never in fashion and she should consult Gina’s psychic for better fashion advice. Amy can’t tell whether she is joking or not.

“So, Amy, got any fun high school Rosa stories?” Terry asks her.

Amy takes a sip of her beer as she pauses to think. “Hhmm, one time a boy in the year above us told her to smile more and she punched him in the face and broke his nose.”

The squad turn to Rosa for confirmation of this story. “And I would do it again,” Rosa says calmly, and the whole squad (slightly inebriated by this point) cheer and clink their glasses together. 

* * *

“That was fun,” Amy says, smiling at Jake, as she leans against her parked car. The cold, almost winter air wraps around the two of them; their cheeks flushed in the darkness. 

“Yeah, I knew you’d get along with them all,” Jake replies.

Rosa walks by them and Amy catches her. “Rosa! We’ll have to catch up again soon! We can go to Laser Tag with Melissa again. She hasn’t seen you in ages.”

A wistful smile falls onto Rosa’s face. “Shooting a bunch of six year olds. I’d love to.”

Amy grins. “Okay, see you soon.”

“Bye,” Rosa says to the pair, walking away.

“Laser Tag with Rosa?! That sounds awesome!” Jake says.

“Yeah, Melissa loves it. She thinks Rosa’s like the coolest person ever.”

“I mean… she is.” Jake says so seriously that Amy laughs. They catch each other’s eyes and silence falls over the pair. The pair feel a rush of warmth encompass them as their eyes linger.

“Well, um, I should go,” Amy says quietly, breaking the silence, and Jake nods, his mouth dry. “I’ll see you sometime next week though,” she says.

“Yeah, I’ll see you then.” Jake replies, and Amy gets into her and drives away, leaving Jake standing on the pavement; a confused expression on his face.

“What was that?!” Comes an enthusiastic voice over his shoulder, and Jake jumps at Charles’ sudden appearance.

“Jeez, Charles, creepy much!” Jake says.

“So what’s happening between you two?” Charles asks eagerly.

“Nothing! Seriously nothing! She’s just a friend.” Jake insists.

“Not for long, baby! Sparks were flying!” Charles exclaims.

“Charles-”

“You two would be perfect for each other!”

“Charles-”

“You’re both single parents, betrayed by the parent of your child and thrust into this cruel, unforgiving world as your daughters’ only guide.”

“Charles!” Jake says one more time, and he stops. “I don’t like Amy!”

“You say that now…” Charles says in a sing song voice, walking away from Jake.

“And I’ll keep saying it!” Jake calls after him.

“I’ll prepare my best man speech!” Charles yells back, before turning the corner.

“Don’t!” Jake begins to yell, but it’s no use. “...do that.” He finishes quietly.

He wanders back to his car and sits in it for a few minutes.

I mean… It’s not like Amy is unattractive… and they get on well… really well.

He thinks about that moment just before, and suddenly he finds himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her.

He shakes his head and puts his key into the ignition.

It doesn’t matter anyway. It would interfere with the girls. And they come first.

He drives back to his apartment, and stares at Andi’s empty bed for a moment. There’s a pang of longing in his chest - he wonders how Sophia can stand to be away from her for so many nights. 


	4. december.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amy goes out on a date, forcing Jake to question his feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey folks! this one is a bit longer than the last! i want to thank @amysantiagoisfone and @storyinmyeyes on tumblr for helping my edit/proof read this chapter and the ones before it! yall are legends and everyone give em a follow! enjoy x

**_December._ **

 

Amy drops Melissa off at Sophia’s for a playdate one day in early December.

“Thanks for having her, otherwise I would’ve had to cancel,” Amy says to Sophia, standing in her doorway as Melissa and Andi run off gleefully.

“Oooh, are you going out on a date?” Sophia asks with a grin, and Amy scoffs in return.

“No, I’m just catching up with Rosa - We haven’t had any one on one time in ages.”

“Tell me you still have Bumble on your phone!” They’d downloaded the app back on Halloween but Amy had been yet to use it.

“Yes, I just haven’t gotten round to it yet,” Amy says to her, “and anyway, does anything ever come of these things?”

“Yes!” Sophia insists, before leaning in slightly so the girls won’t be able to hear (despite being in a different room). “I’ve had many successful nights, plus I met the guy I’ve been seeing on there.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, turns out he works for a rival law firm. It keeps things… very interesting,” Sophia tells Amy suggestively.

Amy looks mildly disgusted. “Okay, I’m gonna go, I’ll pick her up in a couple of hours.”

* * *

“Hey! We didn’t just come here to drink in silence,” Amy says to Rosa, after they’ve been sitting silently in a booth in Shaw’s for almost five minutes.

“Why?” Rosa asks, beer in hand. “It’s my favourite thing to do. You know that.”

“Yeah, but I feel like we haven’t gotten a chance to talk in ages.” Amy says emphatically.

“I’m not the one with the kid.” Rosa says bluntly, taking a drink.

Amy gives her a puzzled look. “Right. Sorry for giving birth and raising a child by myself!”

Rosa shrugs. “Eh, she’s a pretty cool kid.”

“Right?!” Amy says excitedly. “She got 100% in spelling last week. I was pretty proud.”

Rosa looks mildly amused. “You’re such a nerd,” she says, but there’s affection in her voice and Amy smiles at her.

“Seriously, what’s going on in your life?” Amy presses.

“Okay, I’m seeing this new chick, Aubrey. She’s pretty dope.” Rosa tells her, giving in.

Amy’s eyes widen as she grins. “Really?! Rosa! That’s great!”

There’s a beat.

“This is the moment where you ask me about my dating life now,” Amy prompts her, and Rosa looks bemused.

“Boned anyone recently?” She asks without hesitation, and Amy chokes on her beer.

“Rosa!”

“What? You asked me to?”

Amy sighs dramatically, annoyed that Rosa hadn’t read her mind. “Sophia-”

“Jake’s ex?” Rosa interrupts her.

“Yes.”

“Why are you hanging out with Jake’s ex? That’s weird.”

“It’s not weird!” Amy protests. “Our kids are friends. I like her.”

“Ugh, she’s a defence attorney. The enemy.”  Rosa says with disgust.

Amy decides not to get into this discussion. “I was going to say that Sophia suggested I try online dating.”

“Do you wanna do that?” Rosa asks her.

“Well, I mean… it’s been a while since I… y’know,” Amy says, making meaningless gestures with her hands.

Rosa looks at her expectantly, waiting for her to finish the sentence.

“You know!” Amy emphasises.

“Ames, there are no kids here you can say ‘sex’.”

“I know!” Amy retorts, offended.

“Okay, so have you used one of these sites?” Rosa asks her.

“It’s an app, and no. I don’t really know what to do.” Amy pulls out her phone and shows her Bumble.

“You just swipe right if you like them and left if you don’t.” Rosa explains. “See, what about this guy? Teddy, accountant, likes pilsners. Sounds boring. Perfect.” She swipes right.

“What?” Amy snatches the phone back from Rosa like they’re children.

“You only ever date boring guys,” Rosa says as if it’s obvious.

“No I don’t!” Amy protests, sounding offended. “Melissa’s dad wasn’t boring!” She points out.

“And how that work out?” Rosa asks her, and Amy glares at her but is unable to come up with a reply. “Gimme the phone,” Rosa says, putting out her hand.

Huffily, Amy gives it back to her.

“Hi Teddy,” Rosa says as she types, “what’s your favourite number?”

“What?! Don’t send that!”

“Too late!” Rosa hits send. “He’s an accountant. What else is he going to talk about?”

The phone bings. A message. Amy leans over eagerly to see what it says.

_17\. What about you?_

Rosa hands back the phone and looks at her pointedly. “Told you.” She says, taking a sip of beer.

* * *

After a few days of messaging back and forth a date is set up for that Friday night. Teddy seems nice and funny; even mildly good looking. Amy books a babysitter for the evening - something that makes Melissa grumpy.

“But why couldn’t I have a sleepover with Andi?” She moans, swinging backwards and forwards on the bathroom as Amy gets ready.

“Because, hun. You can have a sleepover with her soon,” Amy replies, not looking at her daughter.

Melissa narrows her eyes at her. “Promise?”

Amy turns to her and offers out her pinky. “Pinky promise.” She says.

Melissa considers this, as if suspicious that Amy might be tricking her. She decides Amy must be telling the truth because as everybody knows, pinky promises are unbreakable. She intertwines her pinky with her mother’s and they shake.

If Amy’s honest she hadn’t even thought about asking Jake - sometimes she forgets that she now has someone to help her out when she needs it. It’s just been her and Melissa for so long.

“Why are you getting all pretty, Mommy?” Is Melissa’s next question. She seems intent on pestering her mother tonight.

“Why can’t I get all pretty?” Amy asks her, returning to the mirror.

“‘Cos you don’t usually.”

“ _Be_ cause.” Amy corrects and Melissa rolls her eyes in response. She must be bored because she wanders off, leaving Amy to finish her makeup.

* * *

The date goes well - surprisingly well in fact. For the first few minutes Amy gets prepared to play the ‘my kid is sick’ card, but then she starts to warm up to him. He _is_ nice, and funny - well not as funny as Jake she mentally notes, but funny. He’s not scared off by the kid thing either, and actually asks Amy questions about it, which she has to admit is a turn on. He does talk an awful lot about pilsners though, but Amy decides to find it charming rather than annoying. She offers to pay but he insists, and Amy lets him.

“I guess I’ll just get the next one then,” she says once they’ve stepped outside into the bustling night.

He smiles. “The next one?”

“Yeah, I mean,” she suddenly feels embarrassed - _what if he didn’t want a next one?_ “If, uh, you want.”

“You don’t have to pay, but I’d like that,” he replies, and Amy smiles at him. She steps up to kiss him slowly. No major sparks, but it feels good and warming.

“I should, um, go. Relieve the sitter,” Amy says softly. “But I’ll message you,” she assures him.

“Okay, I’ll see you soon then.” He replies.

She flags down the first cab she sees, and waves at Teddy, before heading home.

* * *

They set the next date for the next Saturday, and this time Amy does ask Jake to have Melissa over for a sleepover.

It’s Thursday - Amy’s day to pick up the girls, and Jake’s day to bring pizza after work.

“Hey, would it be okay if you had Melissa to stay this Saturday night?” Amy asks after the pizza has been finished and the girls have disappeared into the fort they spent building during the afternoon.

“Yeah, of course,” Jake replies without hesitation, “I’m sure the girls would love that.”

“Thank you,” Amy says to him, “you’re an actual lifesaver!”

He grins at her. “It’s what I do, Santiago,”

“I thought you caught bad guys and looked good doing it?” Amy teases him.

“Yes, but you see, by catching the bad guys, I save the good guys lives,” Jake mock explains.

“Ah, right, of course. And that’s me?” Amy asks. “The good guy?”

“I mean, who else would you be?” His eyes don’t leave Amy’s as he says this and the air feels electric.

“Dad!” Squawks Andi, and both Jake and Amy jump in their chairs, suddenly pulled back from wherever they were.

“Yes, Andi?” Jake responds, shifting in his seat.

“Is Melissa sleeping over this weekend?” She asks excitedly.

“Yeah, yeah she is,” Jake replies, and Andi squeals happily, diving back into the fort and confirming Melissa’s hopes, which is followed by more over excited six year old shrieks.

Jake and Amy share a look, and laugh, although there’s a slight discomfort in the air now.

“Um, the only thing is that I’m working this Saturday and Andi’s spending all day at my mom’s, so you won’t be able to drop off till maybe seven or something?” Jake says. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, yeah that’s fine,” Amy nods. _I’ll just have to drop Melissa off on my way to the date_.

* * *

Jake opens the door unprepared for Date Amy that Saturday evening. She’s wearing a black dress with boots and pale pink coat. Her dark hair - usually in a ponytail - is out and falls in waves past her shoulders. Jake’s always thought she was gorgeous but in a sort of subconscious way. There’s no ignoring it now. Amy smiles at him uncertainly.

Melissa doesn’t waste anytime, slipping under Jake’s outstretched arm and running off gleefully with Andi.

“Wow, uh, you look really, um…” he struggles to find the word he’s looking for. “Good.” Is what he finally settles for.

“Thanks,” Amy replies.

“You going out?”

“Yeah, um, a date actually.” She says awkwardly. It now seems weird that she hasn’t mentioned it beforehand.

“Oh, uh, cool. Have fun.” Jake replies and his tone confirms that it _is_ weird she didn’t say anything. They’ve pretty much told each other everything over these past few months.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow?” She says after they’ve both stood in the silence a little too long.

“Yeah, I’ll drop Melissa off on my way to Sophia’s.”

“Thanks again. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Amy leaves and Jake shuts the door.

Okay, maybe, _maybe_ , Charles was right. He leans his head against the door and closes his eyes. He can hear Andi and Melissa loudly playing princesses in the living room.

Maybe a part of him, a very, _very_ , tiny part of him likes Amy. Just a little.

* * *

He’s late picking up Andi from Sophia’s the next day. Work had been busy, and he’d been trying to keep his mind off Amy, who he’d seen that morning when he’d dropped off Melissa. He’d kept his cool pretty well he’d thought, been casual about the whole thing. They’re friends, that’s the important thing, he’d realised last night. Friends talk about their dating lives. Yeah it was a little awkward when she’d described it as a ‘fun night’ but they’d get better at this.

It’s already eight in the evening by the time he gets to Sophia’s, which is past Andi’s Sunday night bedtime.

Sophia ushers him in quietly, pointing to the small sleeping figure lying on the couch; Moana paused on the TV in front of her.

“I’m sorry I’m so late,” Jake whispers as they tiptoe into the kitchen and Sophia pours them a glass of wine each.

“It’s okay. We got Chinese and she fell asleep like five minutes into Moana. Thank god, if I have to hear that ‘You’re Welcome’ song one more goddamn time.” Sophia says, and they look at each other, laughing.

“Yeah, she had a sleepover with Melissa last night,” Jake explains.

“And I’m guessing no sleep was had for any of you?”

“Oh none at all. They did watch Moana twice though.” He says, taking a long drink.

“Oh god,” Sophia puts her head in her hands, chuckling.

“What can I say,” Jake begins to sing softly.

“Don’t!” Sophia says, shoving him playfully, and he lets out a mock yelp.

* * *

A bottle of wine later, they’re lying side by side in Sophia’s bed, breathless and wordless.

“I should, um, probably go, y’know, before Andi wakes up and finds us,” Jake finally says, his voice quiet.

Sophia nods. “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

He collects his discarded clothes and gets dressed. Sophia, in a bathrobe, presses a kiss to Andi’s forehead as Jake picks her floppy body up.

“And just so we’re clear,” Sophia begins, as the stand in the doorway.

“Didn’t mean anything,” Jake finishes for her with a nod.

“Okay good,” she says with a slight smile, “I’ll see you in a few days then.”

Andi stirs slightly in his arms as he walks down from Sophia’s apartment, and he whispers her back to sleep.

Once Andi’s strapped in into her car seat, Jake sits in the driver’s seat, his head on the steering wheel.

_What a fucking idiot._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are much appreciated as they keep up my enthusiasm for this fic! the next chapter will be up within the next week or two hopefully x


	5. january & february.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jake & amy take the girls ice skating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some domestic, fluffy family fun to lighten the mood after that last chapter ahaha  
> this one is short but i promise you are in for a RIDE for the next chapter.

**_January & February. _ **

 

The Christmas holidays come and go without much mayhem for both Jake and Amy’s family. Jake and Andi celebrate Hanukkah with his mom, as well as Christmas with Sophia and her family. Surprisingly things between Jake and Sophia are pretty good - a little awkward at first but it seems to have gotten rid of some lingering tension. Plus there’s nothing like spending all of Christmas with Sophia’s parents to get the two back on the same side.

Amy and Melissa enjoy a classic family fuelled busy Santiago Christmas that ends with Amy’s three old nephew in the ER after he got his hand stuck in the Xbox disc slot.

* * *

The new year comes with a fresh layer of snow that delights Andi and Melissa to no end. Jake takes both girls up to the apartment building roof one afternoon after a new fall of snow. The snow is crisp and unbroken by footsteps, and looks out over the grey-white New York; the cars mere lumps of snow. They shriek delightedly as they play in the untouched snow, throwing haphazardly made snowballs at each other, and the two girls teaming up to storm Jake and stuff as much snow as possible down his top.

They build a snowman and Melissa very seriously makes Jake pinky promise to send her a photo of it tomorrow.

Amy arrives just as they’re lying down in the snow to make snow angels, and despite her refusals and her protests that she’s not in appropriate snow clothing (“These are my work clothes!”), she gets dragged down by Jake and the girls, all four laughing hysterically in the cool air; their cheeks and noses pink.

The next morning Jake makes sure to send a photo of their sad, half melted snowman to Amy for Melissa before heading off to school and work.

* * *

One weekend Jake and Amy agree to take the girls ice skating. They insist on going to the rink in Central Park, and Jake and Amy reluctantly agree despite their protests that it’ll be filled with tourists who have never skated a day in their life.

They’re right. Half of everybody are on the rink are clutching, terrified, to the barrier or to each other. But Andi and Melissa don’t care. They strap on their skates and wobble onto the ice, holding one another’s hand.

Amy and Jake watch them, smiling as the lean against the barrier, standing so close they’re almost touching.

“So does Andi get her skating talent from you?” Amy asks Jake, nudging him, as Andi struggles to stand up after falling onto her bum.

“You’re doing great, sweetie!” Jake calls out to his daughter, who grins at him from under her too large beanie. He turns to Amy. “Making fun of a child,” he teases, “how low will you stoop, Santiago?”

“Anything to make my own kid look good,” Amy replies with a shrug, a smirk on her face. “Not that she needs it, look at her gracefully gliding around this rink.” She points over to Melissa right at the moment she tumbles down, taking Andi with her.

The two parents stifle laughter at their clumsy children.

“Are you girls okay?” Amy calls out to them, and they come skating over, soft ice clinging to their clothes.

“Are you laughing at us?!” Melissa asks them indignantly, hands on her hips.

“No, of course not!” Amy lies, matching her daughter’s indignation.

Melissa looks at her mother suspiciously, but it’s Jake’s laughter that gives them away.

“Da-ad!” Andi scolds him. “That’s rude!” But she’s laughing too, and soon both Amy and Melissa join them.

“Are you gonna come skating with us?” Andi asks the adults, once the laughter has subsided.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Amy says.

“Oh, pleeease!” Andi begs them. “Please, Dad!”

Jake looks at Amy, his eyebrows raised and mischief in his eyes. “I mean, why not?”

Amy shakes her head at him, but she can’t help but smile.

Less than ten minutes later Jake and Amy have jammed their feet into rented skates and they’re following their daughters out onto the ice.

Both of them are equally terrible. It’s been years since either of them have been ice skating.

They slip and slide, clinging to one another to stop them from falling. The girls laugh at their clumsy parents, happily showing off their own better (though still rather wobbly) skating.

“Okay, okay, just come here,” Amy says, hobbling back for Jake who has fallen over. She offers him her hand and helps pull him up. “Holding hands should steady us okay?” 

Jake nods at this, not minding holding Amy’s hand at all. 

It works. It does steady them, and they manage to do a whole lap holding hands without falling over or even a single slip.

“Hey we’re pretty good at this,” Jake grins at her as they start their second lap.

“Yeah, it’s actually kinda fun,” Amy agrees, “maybe Teddy and I should do it one day.”

“Yeah,” Jake echoes, trying to sound more enthusiastic than he feels about this.

* * *

Half an hour later Jake and Amy wobble off the rink, their legs cold and tired. Another ten or so minutes and their pink faced children join them, animatedly chatting about who had the funniest fall.

They hand their skates back and the man behind the desk smiles at them.

“Your first time skating?” He asks Jake and Amy.

Jake laughs. “First in a while, but it was the girls’ first time ever. I think they enjoyed themselves though, right girls?”

Andi and Melissa nod vigorously, and all three adults laugh.

“You have a very beautiful family,” the man tells them, and Jake falters.

“Oh, uh…” he looks at Amy for the right thing to say.

“Thank you,” she smiles at the man, “goodbye.” And they turn to leave.

“It’s just easier to say thanks,” Amy explains to quell Jake’s questioning look.

“Yeah, I get that,” Jake nods.

“And I mean…” her eyes meet his and she smiles, “it’s a nice thought, isn’t it?” There’s a pause. “The girls, as sisters, I mean.”

Jake nods his head, smiling. “Oh, right, yeah.”

“I mean they practically are,” Amy says, gesturing at Andi and Melissa who are now bickering.

Jake laughs. “Yeah, I suppose so.”

“Time for lunch?” Amy asks him. “I could go for some really greasy pizza.”

“God, that sounds great,” Jake agrees. “Come on girls,” he says to Andi and Melissa, “pizza time!”

The girls cheer, and run happily through the half melted snow covering the park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments appreciated! will update asap x


	6. march.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jake and amy confront their feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a lengthy one! have fun folks! :')  
> (also this is now my longest fanfiction which is just!!! crazy!!!)

**_March._ **

 

The months change but the snow stays, and a particularly snowy Thursday night in early March keeps Jake and Andi stuck at Amy and Melissa’s place. Not that any of them mind.

The girls squeal gleefully when their parents tell them Jake and Andi will have to wait till the storm clears. Andi and Melissa spend half an hour in a warm bubble bath together, absolutely soaking Amy’s bathroom floor, before attacking Jake and Amy with large foamy bubbles.

They change into Melissa’s pyjamas, which come up a little high on Andi’s ankles. Amy and Jake tuck them into bed, sharing the voices of different characters as they read Harry Potter to the girls.

Andi shuts her eyes and lets herself fall asleep, knowing full well she’ll wake up in the morning back home after being gently carried by her father.

“They better get some sleep,” Jake whispers as he and Amy tiptoe down the hallway and into her living room. “Otherwise they’re gonna be exhausted at school tomorrow.”

“Oh it’s gonna be cancelled,” Amy says wisely, as they sit down next to each other on the couch. “No way it’s open after a night of snow like this.”

“Truuuue,” Jake nods, as he stares out the window at the snow, which is spiralling down at a rapid rate. “Driving home is not going to be fun tonight.”

“You can just… stay the night if you want,” Amy offers, “like, sleep on the couch,” she adds quickly, blushing.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to sleep on the floor,” Jake jokes and Amy laughs. He can’t help but feel a small swell of pride in his chest at this. It feels good to make her laugh.

“If you want you could squeeze into bed with Andi, but you might be a little squished,” Amy replies, still laughing softly.

“Just a little,” Jake agrees, beaming at her.

They talk for a while, their voices soft against the harsh winds outside

“Is everything still good with you and Teddy?” Jake asks her when he finds an organic place to slip the question in (right after he and Amy had been laughing about her brother’s ridiculous new boyfriend).

Amy frowns. “No, we kinda stopped seeing other,” she shifts uncomfortably, “well not kinda. We did stop seeing each other.”

Jake opens his mouth in shock horror (although he’s unable to keep some of the glee out of his eyes). “You dumped him, Santiago!”

“I didn’t dump him,” she retorts, struggling not to smile at Jake’s teasing, “I told him it would be best if we stopped seeing each other.”

“That’s dumping.” Jake says, matter of factly.

“It’s not like we were ‘together together’ we’d just been seeing each other for a few months.”

“Still a dump.” Jake grins at her, and she playfully hits him in the chest.

“Shut up,” she says with a smile.

“You’re a cruel woman, Santiago.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Amy waves him off, biting her lip.

Jake leans closer to her. “Okay, what was the problem with Mr. My Favourite Number Is Seventeen?” He asks her semi seriously.

“Well for starters, that was pretty much the most interesting thing he ever said to me. And there was just… no spark? That’s vague, but you know what I mean? I want someone I can laugh with and have fun with. Have fun with them and my kid, y’know?” She looks up at Jake, suddenly realising the irony in what she’d just said. She moves slightly away from him, feeling the heat rising in her. Jake nods understandingly. “And I asked if he wanted to go ice skating right?” Amy continues, compelled to keep talking to fill the silence that would hang between them otherwise. “But he said ice skating was ‘dangerous’,” Jake laughs at this, and Amy feels some of the pressure on her chest being released. She nervously tucks her hair behind both ears, “and he told me this whole story about how his brother got his finger cut off ice skating when they were kids, and then we went out for a jazz brunch.”

Jake looks at her quizzically. “What’s a-”

“Don’t ask,” she answers before he can even finish his question.

What she doesn’t tell him is that maybe it wasn’t completely because of Teddy that they stopped seeing each other. That maybe Teddy was right when he accused her of liking Jake when she told him they should stop seeing each other.

She smiles at Jake and he smiles back.

Her heart flutters.

Yeah, maybe he was right.

* * *

Just over a week later Jake, Rosa, and the rest of the squad are at Shaw’s for end of the week drinks.

Jake sits down next to Rosa, who is drinking her beer silently at the bar.

“Hey, can I ask you a question?” Jake asks her.

“No.” Rosa replies promptly without even looking at him.

“About Amy?” He asks again.

Rosa makes a disgusted noise. “Ugh, definitely not.”

Jake looks at her, offended. “What’s that mean?” 

Rosa turns to him, taking a sip of her beer. “That whatever weird thing is going on between you two, I don’t wanna get involved.”

“You’re her best friend,” Jake replies, “you know her better than anyone.”

Rosa sighs. “Okay, only ‘cause you helped me solve that case last week.”

“Yes!” He cheers with a grin. “Okay, okay,” he says when he sees Rosa’s disapproving expression, “I won’t do… that.”

“Good.” She says without blinking.

“So, do you think, that, if I like-”

“God, get to the point, Jake.” Rosa moans.

“If I asked Amy out, do you think she’d say yes?” He asks her, bracing himself.

Rosa simply shrugs.

“What am I supposed to make of that?” He gestures at her, annoyed.

“I don’t know, man, I’m not Amy.” Rosa replies.

“Okay, but what do you think.”

Rosa thinks for a moment. From the way Amy’s talked about Jake it’s not hard to deduct how she feels about him. “Has she double tucked?” Rosa finally asks him.

Jake looks at her, confused.

“Double tucked,” Rosa repeats at his expression, “like this.” She tucks her hair behind both hairs and giggles shrilly.

“Well that was terrifying,” Jake says, shaking his head as if trying to get rid of the image. “But, yeah, she has.”

“Then she likes you.” Rosa says simply. “That’s what she always does when she likes a guy.”

“Okay, but even if she likes me, do you think she’ll say yes?” Jake probes further.

Rosa looks at him blankly. “Why would she say no?”

“The girls!” Jake replies as if this is obvious, but Rosa looks just as blank as before. “It’ll affect their friendship,” he continues, “I don’t know if Amy would want that.”

“Look,” Rosa says to him, “I can’t answer that for you. But you know who can?”

Jake nods. “Amy.”

“You just have to ask her, man.”

“But what if it makes things weird?”

Rosa shrugs. “Not my problem.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll just ask her, and if she says no, I’ll just... be okay with that, it won’t, like, be crushed or anything because I have self esteem.” He says all of this very fast and Rosa looks at him as if he’s being strange.

“Okay, now drink in silence with me.” She says, and Jake nods, drinking his beer gratefully.

* * *

Jake make sure he drops Andi off early enough Monday morning that he’ll catch Amy. Him and Andi usually rush in with one minute till the bell on good days, and on others they’re about ten minutes late. Jake has to practically drag her out of bed half an hour earlier and bribe her with ice cream for dinner to make her get ready quick enough.

He drops her off ten minutes early. A record for him.

Melissa is giggling with some other girls outside the classroom and Andi runs up to join them happily. Melissa throws her arms around Andi and makes a melodramatic exclamation about how Andi has never been early in her life.

Jake laughs at this, and spots Amy standing nearby on her phone with a few other parents. He jogs over to her, feeling slightly nervous.

“Hey,” he says, and she jumps, shocked to see him. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, I just… you’re early!” She tucks her hair behind her ears, and Jake’s stomach flips.

“Yeah, Mel was just as surprised as you,” he comments, gesturing over to the girls. Amy looks at over them and smiles. Melissa is now rebraiding Andi’s hair - a hasty job on Jake’s part.

“I, uh, actually wanted to ask you something,” Jake says, deciding to get right to the point. Amy brings her attention back to Jake, as he fiddles nervously with the badge hanging around his neck. “Yeah?” She asks.

“Maybe like, uh, over there,” Jake gestures vaguely in a direction with less parents.

Amy looks nonplussed, but shrugs. “Sure. I’ll just go say goodbye to Melissa first.”

She says goodbye to Melissa, who seems very disinterested in her mother, and Jake and Amy walk over to an area out of earshot of kids or parents.

Jake stares at Amy, desperately trying to work up the courage to say the words he’d rehearsed last night in the mirror.

Amy stares blankly back at him. “You wanted to ask me something?” She says finally, after the silence had lasted almost a minute.

Jake shakes himself. “Oh! Yes! I, uh-”

“This isn’t going to be that thing where you show me those videos of screaming goats is it?” Amy asks him, sighing exasperatedly.

“No, but I stand by that prank!” 

“Okay, so what is it?” 

“Um, okay… Does, uh, you, wanna um…” he stares at her, suddenly losing momentum halfway. He’s in his thirties. It should not be this hard to ask out a girl. “You know how about we go talk over coffee or something?” He says, chickening out.

“We both have to go to work, Jake,” Amy replies, starting to get frustrated. “What is it? Just ask me!”

“Okay, would you,” he pauses to point at her, and Amy nods to show she gets the point, “want to go out on a date? With me? Like romantic stylez.” He stumbles over the words, his pace speeding up. “You can say no, like it’s not a big deal, it’s y’know, whatever.”

_ Stop! Talking! Jacob! _

“Oh,” Amy says, gulping and taking a small step back. Truth be told she’d love to say yes and make out with him right here in the school. “I, uh, I’m flattered Jake, and I  _ would _ like to, but um… I don’t think it’s a good idea, with the girls and all.” 

He tries to not look as devastated as he feels. “Yeah, no, of course,” he says loudly, “I thought you might say that, and I totally agree!”

“I’m sorry,” Amy says quietly, “I just wouldn’t want anything to jeopardize their friendship. Or ours.” She looks at Jake and he can tell she’s genuinely sorry.

“It’s fine, I totally get it!” He’s still talking too loudly, and his voice is weirdly high pitched. “I need to go to work. Save the city, that kinda thing. I’ll see you tomorrow!” He half walks half runs out of there, feeling stupid for even asking her. Of course she’d say no. The girls come first. At least he wasn’t crazy - there was something between them, she’d admitted that when she’d said she’d like to. Still. Stupid.

Amy watches him go. Standing there like an idiot, wishing she could say yes.

* * *

The next day Jake picks the girls up after school and Amy comes around with pizza at six on the dot.  (Ice cream for dinner one night, and pizza the next - Andi is living every six year old’s dream.)

Jake and Amy are uncomfortably polite with one another, though thankfully the girls don’t pick up on this.

“This is weird,” Amy voices, whilst the girls are absorbed in a rather competitive game of snakes and ladders. “The whole reason I said no was so things wouldn’t be weird.”

“I’m sorry,” Jake says, “I never should’ve never have-”

“No, Jake,” Amy interrupts him, “you don’t need to apologise… I just want us to be friends, and Not Weird.”

“Exactly, same, because we work so well together,” Jake says, and Amy nods.

“Right, with the girls! You’ve been such a big help, and they’ve both been so happy since they met and I don’t want anything to change.”

“Okay, cool, so we’re on the same page then?” Jake asks.

Amy looks relieved. “Yeah, same page,” she nods, smiling.

Silence passes between them, broken only by Melissa and Andi suddenly bursting out into song and dance to ABBA’s ‘Dancing Queen’.

“Fuuuun and sweeeet! Only seventyyyy!” They crone loudly, dancing around the living room. Amy and Jake catch each other’s eye and promptly burst out laughing.

* * *

Almost two weeks go by and the weirdness between Jake and Amy has all but disappeared. They’re mostly their normal selves, jokey and teasy but careful to never cross the line into flirting - something they often used to do.

It’s the last Friday in March and they run into each other at pickup as they always do.

“I thought Sophia would be picking her up today,” Amy says to Jake as they watch Andi and Melissa argue with some other kids about who’s supposed to be ‘It’.

“Oh, she had to work, but I’ll drop Andi off there later,” Jake replies.

“Any fun child free plans?” Amy asks him.

“I was gonna hang out with Charles but he bailed on me to take his new girlfriend to this place where you cook naked.” Amy looks disgusted at this and Jake laughs, waving it off. “I didn’t ask questions.”

“Well, you’re more than welcome to come over if you want,” Amy says. “Like, as friends.” She adds at Jake’s bemused expression.

“Well, yes of course, Santiago. Friends.” Jake says, grinning at her.

“We could even watch ‘Friends’ if you want,” Amy jokingly suggests.

“Y’know,” Jake says standing up, “I might take you up on that offer.”

Amy smiles up at him. “Okay, come round whenever.”

Jake opens his mouth to reply but right at that moment Andi and Melissa come hurrying over.

“Are you having a playdate without me?!” Andi asks, hand on her hips.

Jake picks her up and chucks over his shoulder. She shrieks delightedly, hitting his back with her tiny fists. “Daaaad! Put me doooown!”

“It’s not called a playdate when it’s two adults,” he tells his daughter, holding her so she’s facing him.

“What’s it called then?” She asks innocently, poking his left cheek.

Amy watches them, smiling affectionately.

“Uh,” Jake almost says ‘date’, “just hanging out.”

Andi sticks her tongue out him. “That’s what teenagers says.”

“How do you know what teenagers say?” Jake asks her, putting her down.

Andi shrugs. “TV.”

Jake and Amy avoid each other’s eyes as they stifle their laughter.

* * *

Jake turns up at Amy’s place a little after dinner - half to avoid Amy’s cooking and half because Sophia had made spaghetti and watching Andi eating spaghetti is one of the most entertaining things he’s ever seen.

Melissa, dressed in Snoopy patterned flannel pyjamas, greets him at the door by jumping up into his arms. “JAKE!” She squeals excitedly, as he lifts her up just like he did with Andi.

Amy wanders over, smiling as she watches Jake and Melissa mess around. “She was so excited for you to come over,” Amy tells him when he catches her watching them.

Melissa, who is hanging upside, Jake holding her tightly be the legs, grins at her mother. “Can Jake come over all the time?”

Melissa insists to both Jake and Amy that she is not at all tired and that they should let her “stay up as late as the grown ups do!” But sometime after nine, she promptly falls asleep right in the middle of their game of Monopoly. Amy claims this means she forfeits all of her money and property to her because she’s her daughter but Jake claims him it’s now his because she likes him the best. Amy scoffs, mock offended, and throws a ‘Go to Jail’ card at Jake’s forehead. This starts a very competitive but very quiet (as to not wake Melissa) throwing-of-Monopoly-property-cards-and-money war that ends in a mess that Amy would usually find aneurysm inducing, but with Jake she doesn’t even think about that.

After agreeing on a draw (Jake threw more money but Amy points out that property cards are worth more, and she threw more of them), they pick the Monopoly pieces out of Melissa’s hair and carry her to bed.

Amy can’t help but admire what a good dad Jake is to Melissa, because he is as close as Melissa will ever have to a dad really. He treats her the same way he treats Andi. The same gently touch, the same amused expression, the same terrible jokes.

“You know,” Amy says quietly as they sit back down on the couch, glass of wine in hand, “Andi got really lucky in the dad department. Thank you for letting Melissa have a taste at that.”

It might just be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to him. He smiles, embarrassed at such a wonderful compliment. “She’s a great kid,” he replies, “I really love her.”

Amy looks at him, never more overcome with the urge to kiss him than right now. “So… so ‘Friends’?” She asks, breaking the tension.

“Huh?”

“Do you still wanna watch ‘Friends’?” Amy asks him.

“Yeah, yeah alright,” Jake nods, smiling. “Do a holiday episode. Those are always fun.”

They end up watching into the night, talking through most of the episodes as they go off on tangents; the wine encouraging them. There is an easiness between them that Jake can’t really describe. It’s just  _ easy  _ being with her. 

It takes them a moment to realise the episode has paused itself and Netflix is asking them if they’re still watching.

Amy laughs, reaching for the remote. “Oh god, have we watched that many?”

Jake checks his phone, it’s past midnight. “I should probably head home,” he says standing up, and this surprises Amy, who had been about to press ‘Yes’.

“Okay,” she says, following him over to the door. “You good to drive?”

“Yeah, you drank most of the wine,” he replies, and Amy shoves him playfully.

“Rude, Peralta!”

“Yeah, yeah, you love it,” Jake teases, waving her protest away.

They’re standing by the door now, looking at each other fondly. “I’ll see you Tuesday then,” Jake says softly, aware of how close they are.

“Why did you ask me out?” Amy asks him, out of the blue.

“Because… I like you,” Jake replies honestly, “you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met, and I just… I really like you.”

“You’re a real smooth talker, Peralta,” she whispers, before pressing up on the tips of her toes and kissing him tenderly.

Jake pulls her towards him, his hands on her back, kissing her back without hesitation. Her hands sweep up and around his neck, and their foreheads touch as their lips come apart.

“Maybe,” Amy says breathlessly, “maybe one date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aahhh hope you enjoyed! i will have the next chapter up in the next two weeks! comments are much appreciated and keep me motivated to write ;))
> 
> (also idk why it always does two different end notes?? i think it's a glitch)


	7. april

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> jake and amy finally go out on their first date... but it doesn't go quite to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took 50 years folks! i was busy w work and uni n stuff! but i hope yall enjoy x

**_April._ **

 

The date is set for the following Friday but Amy’s babysitter cancels on her last minute and they reschedule to Sunday night but Jake gets called into work last minute and profusely apologises to Amy. They finally settle for the following Saturday night.

“So what are the chances I’ll see you this Saturday?” Amy jokes as Jake and Andi leave her place that Thursday night.

“Look, at this point the only thing that’d make me reschedule is apocalyptic destruction,” Jake replies, and Amy laughs.

She opens her mouth to reply but Andi gets in before her.

“Are you having another playdate without me?!” She accuses, hands on hips, before spiralling into a coughing fit.

Jake laughs, picking her up. “No we’re not, silly. C’mon, let’s get you home.” He winks at Amy before leaving. She smiles, watching him go.

* * *

“Daaaad,” Andi complains that Saturday night, “I don’t want a babysitter! I don’t feel well!”

Jake puts his palm against her forehead. A little warm but nothing to be alarmed about. “You’re just being dramatic, Andi, you feel fine.” He says to his daughter.

Andi opens her mouth and coughs right in his face. “Now you can’t go,” she says crossing her arms, “you’re sick too.”

Jake wipes the spit off his face. “Thanks for that Andi.” He says sarcastically, and his daughter glares stares stubbornly at him.

He sighs, he really doesn’t want to reschedule again, especially since he’s meant to be meeting Amy in forty minutes; knowing her she’s probably already left. He smiles to himself at this thought.

“C’mon, go to bed,” he says to Andi, making up his mind, “you’ve had a cough all week but other than that you’re fine. Daddy needs some grown up time.” He carries her to bed and tucks her in.

“Who are you having grown up time with?” She asks. “Uncle Charles?”

“Uh, yeah,” Jake lies.

“But Uncle Charles loves me!” Whines Andi. “He said that I was the best child since baby Jesus!”

“Yeah but this is grown up time, sorry, honey.”

Andi pouts just as there is a knock on the door. “That’ll be your babysitter,” Jake says to her, and Andi lets out a dramatic moan.

* * *

He’s ten minutes early to the restaurant, Bouche Manger, but doesn’t go in just yet, and instead waits out the front, on his phone.

Also outside, at the other end of the restaurant, Amy waits, and the two take five minutes before realising the other is here.

“I didn’t think you’d be early,” Amy says to him apologetically as they sit down at their table.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t want to be late, so I overcompensated I guess,” he replies, “but I mean I should’ve guessed you’d be early. How long have you been waiting out there? Thirty, forty minutes?” 

“Oh shut up,” Amy says, but she’s grinning at him, and he smiles goofily back at her.

“You, uh, look beautiful,” Jake says to her, and Amy feels herself blush slightly. She’s in a bright red dress and her hair is all wavy and silky.

“You too,” she replies. “I mean look good, handsome, whatever.” She cringes at herself. 

“I’ll settle for beautiful,” Jake smiles at her, fiddling with his tie.

Silence falls between them and Amy searches her mind for literally anything to talk about but her head is completely and utterly empty.

“So, uh, dating,” Jake says stupidly.

Amy looks at him with slight bewilderment, as if she’s not sure if he knows what dating actually is. “That’s what we’re doing now,” she confirms.

“The last time I went on a date, the woman burst into tears when I told her I was a Gemini,” he tells her, and she laughs.

“Yikes! Last time I went on a ‘date’ it was to break up with Teddy and it wasn’t fun, let’s say.”

A silence fills the gaps of their conversation.

“Is this weird?” Jake asks her, worried.

“No! I mean… it shouldn’t be. We always talk. That’s all a date is.” Amy replies.

“If we didn’t have kids I’d say let’s just get super drunk, but my babysitter has a curfew.”

Amy snorts at this and awkwardness is abated. “How old is she?” Amy asks.

“Seventeen. I once told her she could have a beer from my fridge if she wanted, and she told me that as an ‘upholder of the law’, I shouldn’t be breaking it.”

“Oh she sounds great,” Amy says, “can I have her number?”

“As an ‘upholder of the law’, I have to tell you that that kind of relationship is illegal, Ames,” he says, mock seriously, and she throws her cloth napkin at him playfully.

They slip back into their usual easiness of banter, flirting and teasing one another happily. At one point they narrate a conversation (in awful British accents) another couple is having a few tables over, which ends with Amy laughing so hard that she has to excuse herself to go to the bathroom.

The waiter clears their plates while Amy’s in the bathroom and offers Jake the dessert menu. He takes it, his eyes immediately zooming in on the words 'Nutella Pizza’. He sees Amy walking back over and he smiles at her, pointing excitedly to the dessert menu. Part of him wishes he’d gotten Andi to stay over at his Mom’s or Sophia’s place, but he’d thought that’ve been too presumptuous.

Just as they order the Nutella Pizza, Jake’s phone rings.

“It’s the babysitter,” he says apologetically to Amy, who gestures for him to take it, and he hurries out of the restaurant to answer it.

Amy watches him through the restaurant window - her lip reading’s not bad, but all Jake seems to be saying is variations of “Yes” or “No”.

“I’ve got to go,” he says, rushing back into the restaurant.

“Why?” Amy asks him, standing up. “What’s wrong?”

“Andi’s sick. Really sick.” He tells her. “I’m sorry. I- I never should’ve come out tonight.” He says this more to himself than to her, his tone harsh.

“You couldn’t have known, Jake,” Amy says gently, touching his forearm.

“But I did!” Jake retorts, loudly, and people begin to stare. “She told me she was sick but i didn’t listen because I wanted to…” he trails off, staring at Amy, the words are lost on his tongue. “Here,” he shoves some cash into her hand, “I need go home. I’m sorry, I’ll call you.” He hurries out of the restaurant and Amy watches him go, sinking back into her chair, as their waiter sheepishly brings the check over.

Amy throws the money onto the table. “Bye,” she says softly, her eyes still on the door that Jake had left through, before leaving herself.

* * *

She messages Jake when she gets home, sitting on the end of her own daughter’s bed; whose chest is rising and falling as it should be.

_ Is Andi okay? _

She leans against the wall and waits for the reply.

Her phones rings shrilly a couple of minutes later, and Amy almost drops it as she runs out of Melissa’s room, hoping she didn’t wake her.

“Jake?” Amy answers desperately. “Is everything okay?”

There’s a pause on the other end; an intake of breath like he is readying himself to fight tears. “We’re at the hospital,” he tells her, and Amy’s heart drops.

“What?” Her mouth is dry and she feels lightheaded.

“She was breathing all funny and she started coughing up some really gross stuff and some of it was bloody. She had a fever… I can’t believe I… I didn’t realise it was worse.” Amy can hear the defeat in his voice. The defeat of knowing you’ve fucked up as a parent.

“Jake,” Amy’s voice breaks, “I’m coming.”

“No, Amy, you don’t-” Jake protests but Amy cuts him off.

“I’ll see you soon.” She hangs up, and heads back to Melissa’s room to wake her.

* * *

Carrying Melissa, Amy hurries into the bright hospital, and is directed to Jake and Andi by the receptionist.

“Jake,” Amy says, bursting into the room. Both him and Sophia are there. Andi has an IV stuck into her and is a little pale, but she otherwise appears okay.

“Ames, you came,” Jake says standing up, and Sophia looks between the pair of them.

“Of course, I did,” Amy says breathlessly, putting Melissa down.

Andi, whose face had lit up at the sight of Amy and Melissa, looks upset by Melissa, who had taken one look at the IV sticking into Andi and burst into tears, turning into her mother and clutching at her.

“Oh, Mel. Mel, Mel, it’s okay,” Amy soothes her, picking her back up and rubbing her back soothingly. She looks at Jake. “She’s okay?” It’s half a statement for Melissa, and half a question for Jake.

Jake nods, and Amy feels relief seep into every bone of her body. “She’s okay,” she repeats quietly to Melissa. “She’s okay, she’s okay, she’s okay.”

“I’m going to be fine,” Andi says, and Melissa turns her head out of the crook of her mother’s neck to look at her best friend. “I have - how do you say it Mom?” Andi asks Sophia.

“Pneumonia,” Sophia replies.

“Pneumonia,” Andi says to Melissa, who has stopped crying now. “It’s one of those weird words that begin with a silent ‘P’. Like tsunami.”

“No that begins with a ‘T’,” Sophia tells her daughter, smiling.

“Oh,” Andi’s face falls, “but there are other words that have silent ‘P’s, aren’t there?”

Sophia nods, amused.

Melissa wriggles out of her mother’s grip and drops to the ground.

“You’re really going to get better?” She asks Andi seriously.

Andi nods. “Yeah, I promise.”

Melissa stands up on the tips of her toes, and flings her arms around Andi as best as she can, and all three adults smile at them.

“Can I, uh, talk to you, Ames?” Jake asks her. Amy nods, and they leave the room, Sophia watching them curiously.

“Pneumonia.” Amy says, still processing. “That’s really scary, Jake, I’m so sorry. You know how much I love her.”

Jake nods. “I know,” he says softly, “and she’s going to be okay.”

“How long does she have to stay here for?”

“Only three nights and then they’ll send her home with some antibiotics, so she’ll be off school for a while. But they said that we caught it quite early, which I find hard to believe, but that’s good, I guess.” He sounds tired, and it occurs to Amy that they’re both still in their date outfits.

They both begin to speak at the same time and then stop. “You go,” they both say. 

“You,” Amy says again and Jake nods gratefully.

“You were right, I think,” Jake tells her, “about us dating. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Amy feels her heart drop for the second time that night. “I don’t think it’s what’s best for the girls either.” He continues. “I just… I work so much, I should be spending all that spare time with Andi. I should’ve… I should’ve been home tonight, and I wasn’t. And it wasn’t your fault, I don’t want you to think that. But I need to focus on Andi.” Jake sounds as if he’s been mentally rehearsing this.

Amy hopes she doesn’t look as devastated as she feels. There’s a sick child lying a feet from them, and she’s feeling upset about her love life? Pathetic.

“No I- I totally understand, Jake.” Amy feels like she’s about to cry, and she sounds like it too. She hates herself for that. “You’re right. That’s what’s best.”

She swallows, and shuts her eyes. Screaming at herself in her head to stop fucking crying.

She opens her teary eyes, and looks up at Jake, who also looks on the verge of tears. “Thanks for coming here, Ames.” He says. “You’re really… you’re the best friend.”

Amy smiles tearfully back at him, and he pulls her into a hug. She lets herself take a shuddering breath as she wraps her arms around him and shuts her eyes, letting herself enjoy this moment of closeness with him.

They break apart, and Amy’s tears are gone.

“I should go now,” she says, and her voice has a more steely quality, “but I’ll come back tomorrow and bring you guys some food, and Andi some books and games.”

“That would be amazing, Amy,” Jake says gratefully.

“What are friends for.” Amy says with a gulp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SOOOORRRYYYYYYYY


	8. may.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> andi spends the month recovering. jake and sophia grow closer. jake and amy are unsure how to mend the new gap between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey friiiends! i just wanna say thank you all for reading and commenting on all the chapters it makes me so happy! i hope you guys enjoy this one x (but remember, it's called a slowburn for a reason!)

**_May._ **

 

Andi spends the rest of April and May recovering. Jake and Andi both stay at Sophia’s for a few weeks, seeing as she has a spare bedroom and both parents want to be close to her while she’s not well. For Andi this is basically a dream come true. She doesn’t care that they’re not sleeping in the same bed, for her living with both her parents who are getting along rather well and spend every spare second doting on her is all she’s ever wanted.

Amy and Melissa are constant visitors. Melissa is sure to tell her every time she sees her best friend how boring school is without her and how everyone in class misses her.

Jake and Amy don’t really talk about what’s happened between them over the past couple of months. Their topics of conversation stick mostly to the kids, as well as Amy filling in Jake on the gossip between the parents he’d been missing out on. Both try to pretend it’s not as awkward as it is.

“What happened with you and Amy?” Sophia asks one evening after a particularly awkward goodbye.

“What do you mean?” Jake asks, his voice abnormally high pitched.

“I mean what the hell was that?” Sophia points at him. “You tried to hug Amy but then got weird about it so tried to unlock the door but the door was already unlocked so when you tried to open it, it was locked and you had to unlock it again! It was like watching a trainwreck.” 

Jake doesn’t have a response for that. “Uhhh…”

“Did you guys have sex?” Sophia asks. 

“No!” Jake replies rather forcefully. “Why do you care anyway?”

“I just think I should know if you’re sleeping with our daughter’s best friend’s mom.” Sophia answers matter-of-factly

“Okay fair point, but we’re not... So there is nothing for you to know.”

“Okay, but, just to be clear," Sophia says, amused, "you two were on a date that night that Andi went to hospital?”

“Wha- N-No… How did you know?” Jake asks her incredulously 

“Because you’re both clearly into each other-”

“We’re not ‘clearly into each other’!” Jake scoffs.

“-and you were both dressed for a date when you were at the hospital,  _ Detective _ .” Sophia finishes triumphantly.

“Oh, well, yeah, okay. We went on a date, but that was it.” Jake admits. “And now it’s just a bit-”

“What are you two talking about?” Comes a small voice, and both adults turn to see their daughter watching them from the hallway.

“Nothing, babe,” Sophia says immediately, hurrying over to Andi and bobbing down to her level. “Go get into your pyjamas, go on.”

“Isn’t a date what they do on The Bachelorette?” Andi asks them, rubbing her eyes.

“Yes, and Mommy told Daddy to not let you watch that show,” Sophia says sweetly to her, before shooting daggers at Jake.

“You said not to let her watch The Bachelor, you never said anything about The Bachelorette!” Jake points out.

“Well obviously I meant all the shows within that genre, series, whatever!”

“Next thing you’ll say is that she can’t watch Bachelor In Paradise!” Jake exclaims.

“Of course she can’t watch Bachelor In Paradise! You let her watch Bachelor In Paradise?!” Sophia asks him standing up. “That show is basically porn.”

“What’s porn?” Andi asks innocently, looking between them, eyes wide.

“Just go to bed, baby. We’ll come and read you a story.” Sophia says with a sigh, and Andi turns and walks away.

Jake waits for Sophia to reprimand his parenting - not that she has any right to - but instead she pours two glasses of wine and hands him one, wandering over to the couch.

“I can’t believe she watches Bachelor in Paradise,” Sophia snorts, and Jake sits down next to her; glad she is more amused than annoyed.

“She said it shouldn’t count as a ‘Paradise’ if there are no waterslides And I one hundred percent agree.” Jake says with a grin and Sophia laughs.

It’s been easy to slip into the feeling of old times, staying with her these past few weeks. Like it’s a brief glimpse of what could’ve been.

“Why only one date?” Sophia asks him; her tone is soft, the genuine curiosity seeping through. “I always thought you two would be great together.”

He pretends to think, swilling the wine around in his glass. Another ‘ _what could’ve been_ ’ is flashing through his mind.

He shrugs. “I mean… I dunno… with the kids, it’s just complicated.” He doesn’t think Sophia is going to get it the same way Amy does.

“It doesn’t have to be,” Sophia presses, and now Jake really is being reminded of old times. “You’re allowed to have a life outside of Andi and work, you know.”

“Oh yeah, I’ll just fit that into the eighth, ninth, and tenth day of the week then shall I?” Jake says snarkily, but Sophia doesn’t flinch.

“I’m ready for my story!” Andi calls from her room, interrupting Sophia before she can even begin to retort.

“I’ll do it.” Jake says firmly, getting up and walking away.

* * *

As much as she manages to hide it from her daughter and Jake, Amy’s feels as if she's just treading water. Nothing's really fun anymore, but she's not really depressed either, just... down.

She spends half her time fretting over sick Andi - visiting her as much as possible - and the other half mentally kicking herself for not saying ‘yes’ when Jake had first asked her out. If she had then they could’ve actually had a chance at being together. 

It’s not like her to get hung up over a guy, especially at this stage in her life, but the image of her, Jake, Andi, and Melissa as a little family is one that is hard to shake from her mind. 

“Why are you being so weird lately?” Rosa asks her one night, as they lay sprawled out on Amy’s couch watching Gilmore Girls.

Amy shrugs, throwing some popcorn into her mouth with surprising accuracy. “I dunno… life’s just kinda flat at the moment.”

When Rosa doesn’t reply, Amy throws a piece of popcorn at her. “Aren’t you gonna ask me why?” 

“Nope.” Rosa replies bluntly. “Thought you’ve known me long enough to know that.”

Amy rolls her eyes. “C’mon, I talk to you when you’re having dating troubles.”

“Yeah, and I always tell you to stop.” Rosa points out and Amy ‘ _humphs_ ’ angrily.

The two watch Jess and Rory argue about something trivial for a moment, neither of them saying anything. Rosa takes a drink of her beer. “This doesn’t have anything to do with Jake?” She asks, giving into temptation.

“Yes!” Amy exclaims, clutching a cushion to her chest. “Everything to do with him actually.”

“Ugh, fine, tell me.” Rosa replies, sounded disgusted with herself.

“Well he asked me out on a date a while ago and I said no because of our kids-”

“Dumb reason.” Rosa interjects.

“-but then we kissed so I said yes.”

“Lame.”

“Then we went out on a date after rescheduling it like 5 times, but Andi got sick - I’m sure you heard about that - so Jake got all freaked out and said that I was right that we probably shouldn’t date. The thing is that I totally get where he’s coming from. Everything with the kids is so fragile and seeing your own kid sick… nothing is worse than that. I just feel horrible about feeling horrible because Andi is sick and that’s the real issue.” Amy says this all very fast, as if she’s a balloon deflating.

Rosa looks at her blankly.

“Usually I’d tell Jake this sort of thing, but well, I can’t,” Amy adds sadly.

“Because you wanna fuck his face off.” Rosa finishes for her.

“Rosa!”

“You want the honest truth?” Rosa asks her and Amy nods.

“You’re both my-” Rosa pauses and makes a gagging noise “-best friends, and I think you should just bone.”

Amy whacks her with the cushion, laughing. “You’re never any help.”

“Yeah, it’s so you’ll stop asking, but it never seems to work.” Rosa deadpans, but there’s a smile on her face, and Amy smiles right back.

* * *

In Sophia's apartment, she and Jake are lounging on her couch, wine in hand; their daughter asleep in her room. They’re laughing about something Andi said over dinner, and again Jake is overwhelmed by that feeling of what could’ve been.

And then Sophia is kissing him, her lips so familiar, and for the first time Jake pulls away. If he’s honest with himself he’s surprised something like this didn’t happen sooner. They've been living together for almost a month. 

“Sophia,” he murmurs, and she moves closer to him. He places a hand on her chest, stopping her. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

She moves back to her stop and shrugs, not phased by the rejection. “Is this about Amy?” She asks him after a moment. Again, just curious.

“What? No. I mean, maybe a little, but we never should’ve kept doing this after we broke up, Sophia. It’s not healthy. It’s time we stopped.” Jake’s voice is unusually calm, surprising even himself.

“It’s just sex, Jake.” Sophia replies. “It doesn’t have to be a big deal.”

“Yeah, except we have a kid.” Jake retorts, heat now creeping into his voice. “Or is that ‘no big deal’ to you? Our entire relationship is a huge deal. And we need to have a stable one. Not some weird friends with occasional benefits kind of thing.”

Sophia finally reacts with something more than apathy. “What do you mean having a kid is ‘no big deal’ for me?” Anger in her voice just as much as Jake’s.

“You literally always put your personal life in front of your parental one!” Jake blurts out before he can stop himself.

Sophia’s eyes flash fiercely and she stands up. “No I don’t! Unlike you, I allow myself a personal life because I don’t want to sit around and have everyone feel sorry for the ‘poor single parent’!”

“Yeah, and why am I a single parent in the first place?!” Jake yells back at her, standing up too. “Oh because you put your work life in front of your parental life. Like always.”

“How dare you.” Her voice a dangerous quiet. “I have sacrificed so much so that child could have-”

“Oh! So it was for Andi, was it! It was for Andi that you left! Silly me!”

Sophia glares at him. “You’re such an asshole, Jake.”

“I’m not the one that left.”

“And you’re gonna hold that over me for the rest of your life, are you?! I’m not your father, Jake!”

A stunned silence falls between them.

“Fuck you, Sophia.” Jake finally replies.

“Right. Back. At. You.” She retorts without missing a beat.

A moment passes, anger crackling between the two. “I’m going to take Andi back home tomorrow. She’s well enough.” Jake finally says, his voice laced in ice.

“You go, leave her here.” Sophia says. “She can stay a while longer.”

“No.” Jake replies firmly, his voice threatening to rise again. “ _ I’m _ her parent. She’s coming with me.” He begins to walk out of the room before Sophia even has the chance to speak.

“I’m her parent too!” She says indignantly.

He turns to look at her. “No you’re not.” He says quietly, walking out of the living room.

Sophia stands alone in the dark room. A knife in her heart.

* * *

The next morning when Jake tells his mom that he and Andi are going home that day, she insists on coming over to cook dinner, and Jake doesn’t protest in the slightest. In fact when he hangs up the phone, he presses on Amy’s number, spurred by a sudden desire to see her.

“Jake?” She answers.

“Ames, hi! Andi and I are going back home tonight and my mom’s cooking dinner. I was wondering if you wanted to come over with Melissa. Make it a family affair.”

On the other end of the line, Amy’s face has broken out into a wide smile. “Yeah, I would love that.” And he can hear the smile in her voice.

“Cool,” he says with a grin, “come over whenever.”

“Sounds good,” Amy replies.

“I’ll see you tonight then,” Jake says, “bye.”

“See you.”

The call ends and both are left smiling like idiots.

* * *

It truly is a family affair that evening, with the three Peraltas and the two Santiagos cramped around Jake’s tiny table. Easy laughter fills the air as Andi and Melissa pass a meatball between the pair of them, slurping their spaghetti dramatically and pretending they’re Lady and the Tramp.

“Dad, Dad, you have to sing the song!” Andi insists, and Jake, with a look of amusement from Amy, obliges.

“Look at the skies they have stars in their eyes, on this lovely Bella Notte,” Jake croons, so terribly that Amy bursts into a fit of laughter.

Karen’s eyes pass between the adults, a knowing smile on her face.

Jake watches the laughing, his smiling mother, and the two girls who have taken to singing the song by themselves.

He smiles to himself.

This is a pretty good family.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope yall enjoyed! please tell me all your thoughts x


	9. june: the parent trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> andi and melissa make a plan. jake and sophia throw a party for andi's birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yoooo so i know this took like a month and i literally wrote 90% of this today bc i realised how long it's been so this is like rlly not proof read but i feel bad so here you go!!!

**_J̶u̶n̶e̶.̶_ **

**_The Parent Trap: Jake and Amy Edition_ **

  1. Make Mom come early to set up for the party!!!!



2̶.̶ ̶S̶w̶a̶p̶ ̶p̶l̶a̶c̶e̶s̶ ̶l̶i̶k̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶v̶i̶e̶

  1. Tell Mom and Jake that we want to be sisters for REAL! 
  2. Make sure they are always talking during the party. 
  3. Get Rebecca’s mom to talk to them because I heard her say to Ally’s mom that they would make a cute couple!
  4. Grownups always act sillyer when they drink beer or whine so get them to drink some of that.
  5. Once they have some whine like maybe 3 glasses say we want them to play hide and seek with us but they have to count in the bedroom then lock the door.
  6. Wait before that I’ll dare Daddy to tell your mom that she looks really pretty.
  7. After Daddy tells her she looks really pretty they will kiss and then we will unlock the door.
  8. And then they will get married and live happily ever after.
  9. Oh and I will make Daddy buy roses so he can give your mom a rose like on The Bachla



 

Melissa and Andi stand back and admire their handiwork.

“It’s a little out of order,” Andi says to her best friend, ink on her face from chewing on the end of the pen, “but I think it’s good.”

Melissa, who has inherited her mother’s obsession with lists and neatness isn’t quite happy that Andi took over halfway through and messed up the order (and had written outside the margins she’d drawn with a ruler!) but after all, it’s Andi’s birthday party not hers.

Plus, if their parents get married then they’ll be real sisters. And for the first time in her life, Melissa will have a dad.

“Oh, I can’t wait to be real sisters!” Andi squeals, clutching Melissa’s hand. “We can fight and share clothes and sleep in the same room! It’ll be like a sleepover every night!”

Melissa grins back at her friend, and they jump up and down on Melissa’s bed laughing gleefully.

“And we can wear pretty dresses to the wedding! We can be flower girls!” Melissa babbles, the two lying down side by side on the bed; their chests heaving.

“Yeah! Oh that’ll be so fun! I bet they’ll have a chocolate fountain! I saw that on TV!”

“Yeah and a horse!”

“Two ponies! One for each of us!”

They’re back to giggling hysterically now, imagining their parents perfect dream wedding. Chocolate fountains and ponies and water slides.

The door opens and Amy pokes her head in. “What are you two up to?” She asks amused.

Melissa quickly snatches up The Parent Trap. “Nothing!” They both chime; their grins giving them away.

“Okay, well your dad will be here soon with pizza, Andi, so why don’t you girls come out and set the table.”

Giggling, the two girls hurry out of the room, exchanging knowing looks of superiority as Amy looks at them with suspicion.

Whatever goes on in their tiny minds, she’ll never quite know.

* * *

 

 

**_June._ **

 

Andi’s birthday had been at the end of May, but her party had been pushed back till mid June to make sure she had fully recovered. Jake and Sophia have never been in a worse place since their break up, but the party is planned for the weekend that school ends at Sophia’s place and dammit if either of them is going to let the other get to them.

* * *

Melissa persuades Amy to come early, who, even though neither has told them, can sense that there’s something going on between Jake and Sophia. She kind of got the hint when they’d exchanged “Screw you”s when Andi had been dropped at Jake’s place one afternoon. Sophia, seeing that Amy was at Jake’s before her, had rolled her eyes and muttered something to Jake that Amy hadn’t heard. This is what had lead to the “Screw you, Sophia.” “Screw you, Jake.” Exit Sophia.

Amy had glanced at Jake. Andi and Melissa had already disappeared into Andi’s room. “Everything okay?” She’d asked him. 

“Just peachy! Want a beer?” Was his reply.

Amy’s not surprised that the energy in Sophia’s apartment is less than welcoming when she arrives half an hour early. Jake and Sophia seem to be setting up without exchanging more than the occasional snarl.

“The energy is… really festive.” Amy says to Jake as Andi pulls Melissa into the kitchen to show her the food.

“Yeah well, we’ve agreed not to fight today but if we’re not fighting then there’s not much else to say.” He mutters to her, standing on the side of the couch to hang a birthday bunting.

“Please tell me you took off your shoes before standing on my 6K couch, Jake!” Sophia calls down the hallway.

Jake looks down at his sneakers. “Who spends 6K on a couch?” He calls back.

“People who don’t like to get their couch out of a dumpster!” Sophia replies, appearing out of the hallway. “Jake, take off your f-” she pauses, turning to see the girls watching her expectantly from the kitchen. “Your sneakers, please, darling.” She finishes in a falsely sweet voice before turning to Amy. “He did really get his couch out of a dumpster by the way.”

“It was in great condition, Sophia, and you know it!” Jake tells her angrily, finishing up the bunting and jumping down.

“I’ll, um, go help the girls lay out the food.” Amy says awkwardly, looking between Jake and Sophia hesitantly.

“No Mommy, you’re supposed to be helping Jake,” Melissa protests when Amy enters the kitchen.

“Yeah,” Andi nods, “my mom can help us in here.” And pushing her with all four of tiny hands, she’s shoved out of the kitchen before she can protest, and Sophia is beckoned in her place.

“I don’t think the girls like me anymore,” Amy mutters to Jake as they wrap up the prizes for Pass the Parcel.

Jake snorts. “Oh well, whatever gets you over here and keeps Sophia and I away from each other.”

“And me.” Amy corrects automatically.

“God damn,” says Jake. “The only time it’s ever actually ‘me’ I get it wrong.”

Amy grins at him, and they laugh. Over in the kitchen Andi and Melissa high-five, smiling delightedly.

* * *

People begin arriving not long after. Andi and Melissa’s classmates, along with Jake and Sophia’s friends and family.

“I can not believe Jake convinced you to come here.” Amy says as Rosa walks through the door.

“Yeah, well what can I say. She’s a pretty cool kid.” Rosa shrugs, as Andi and Melissa charge at her, hugging her around the middle. 

Rosa pats them awkwardly on the head. “Happy birthday, kid.”

“Thanks Auntie Rosa!” Andi says.

“Here you go,” Rosa says to her, pulling a present out of her bag.

Andi rips the paper off excitedly to reveal and plastic bow and arrow. The kind with the little suction cups on the end of the arrows.

Andi beams up at her. “Oh this is so awesome!” She hugs Rosa again. “Thank you!” 

She then turns to Amy before exchanging a cheeky knowing look with Melissa. “You know what else I really want for my birthday, Amy?” Andi says, grinning up at her.

“Um… A toy sword?” Amy guesses, bewildered.

“Well, yes, but that’s not what I was thinking of.” Andi replies.

“Okay, tell me then.” 

Again, she and Melissa exchange excited looks, holding each other’s hands. “To be sisters for real!” Andi exclaims squeakily, and both her and Melissa squeal, running off into the throng on first graders.

“Those are some weird kids,” comments Rosa.

Amy smiles at her. “Tell me about it.”

* * *

Step Three, Four, and Five of Andi and Melissa’s parent trap practically orchestrate themselves. With Jake and Sophia fighting, he spends most of his time by Amy’s side, as she’s happy to help him host and manage the party. Rebecca’s mom, ever the gossip, can’t help but notice this and mention more than once (with a full glass of red wine in hand every time) how great they look “simply standing next to each other.” Luckily for Andi and Melissa almost always whenever a large group of parents get together with their young children, alcohol is involved, especially when the two hosts are clearly in the middle of a fight (or at least that’s what Rebecca’s mom is telling everyone).

* * *

Step Six to Ten start off easy enough- tipsy parents will do anything when 20 first graders are all pleading in unison; their squeaky, high pitched voices are not ones you want to say no too.

And so a game of hide and seek - with Jake and Amy nominated as the seekers begins.

“You have to count in here!” Andi and Melissa insist, pushing their parents towards Andi’s bedroom. 

“And why in here?” Jake asks them, amused by their determination.

“Cos that way you can’t see where we hide. Duh.” Andi tells him crossly.

“We could just, I don’t know, close our eyes.” He suggests.

Andi rolls her eyes in response. “You always peek when we play, Dad.”

Amy looks at Jake, trying her best not to laugh. “You cheat when you play hide and seek with your seven year old daughter?” She asks, the corners of her mouth twitching.

Jake shrugs, looking ashamed. “It’s not my finest moment,” he replies, mock seriously, but the two grin and burst out laughing.

Melissa whispers something to Andi and she nods at her. “Wait, Dad, before you start counting we need the roses.”

Jake and Amy’s laughter stops. “What roses?” Jake asks his daughter.

“The roses.” She replies as if it’s obvious.

“What roses?” He asks again.

“The roses!” Andi insists, hands on hips and a scowl on her face.

“What. Roses.” Jake repeats.

“Okay, okay, we’ve got 20 kids out there waiting for us to count let's talk about the roses later.” Amy prompts, placing a hand around Jake’s arm and pulling him slightly towards Andi’s bedroom.

“No!” Andi says, a whine to her voice. “We need the roses for the steps!”

“What steps?” Both Jake and Amy ask her.

“The steps!” She repeats, agitated. “We need to do them in order!”

“Well actually the roses was Step Ten.” Melissa mutters, unable to stop herself.

“Yes but Step Ten is supposed to come before Step Six!” Andi fires back at her.

“Hey, hey, girls. We’re at a party, you don’t need to fight.” Amy says firmly, stepping between the two.

“That’s stupid!” Melissa yells over her mother. “Steps should be in order!”

“Girls!” Amy shouts, and the two fall silent, glaring at each other.

“Are we playing hide and seek or not?” Comes a small voice, and the four turn to see all teh children and their parents watching them from the living room.

“NO!” Shouts Andi angrily at all of them. “Not till Daddy tells Amy that she’s very pretty!”

Everybody stares at her, stunned.

Jake turns to Amy. “Amy,” he says loudly, “you’re very pretty!” 

Amy can feel everyone staring at them. “Thanks Jake. You’re very pretty too.” She replies, her robotic tone comical.

From the crowd watching them they hear Charles ‘whoop’ triumphantly, and Jake has to hold back his laughter. Kids really are so strange sometimes.

“There, now can we play?” Jake asks Andi.

Andi, her arms crossed, glowers at everyone. “Fine. But there are no roses so we haven’t done the steps right.”

* * *

The party comes to an end an hour later, and everyone clears out rather quickly. Melissa and Andi still aren’t talking - both convinced it is the other’s fault that their fool proof Parent Trap didn’t go to plan.

Amy is the last one to leave. “I’ll, uh, talk to you later,” she says to Jake, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Yeah, I’ll see you soon, Ames,” he says. “Bye Mel,” he waves at her, and she waves back, before shooting a filthy look at Andi.

“That went about as well as expected!” Jake announces to no one in particular as the door shuts.

Sophia, sitting on the couch - surrounded by wrapping paper and streamers and other colourful things Jake can not identify - simply raises her eyebrows at him.

“No comment?” He asks her, a nastiness to his tone.

Sophia stands up. “Looks like your personal life is affecting your parental one, ‘Mr World’s Greatest Parent’.” She says cooly.

Jake rolls his eyes. “Oh very funny.” He says sarcastically.

“Just saying, you’re a hypocrite, if that wasn’t spelt out for you.” Sophia adds cruelly.

Jake glares at her. “Can we just clean up so I can leave. I can text you my insults when I get home.” He snaps.

“Suits me.” Sophia replies coldly.

* * *

They’ve cleaned up within the hour. Jake and Sophia exchange icy goodbyes, which luckily Andi is too busy sulking to realise.

“So what was all that about today? Huh?” Jake asks Andi as they drive home.

Andi kicks the back of the seat in front of her. “Nothing.” She mumbles.

“What were you and Mel fighting about? I’ve never seen you guys fight like that.”

Kick. “Nothing.”

“Man, wish I could get that angry about nothing. Maybe I’d turn into the Hulk.” He looks at Andi in the mirror, hoping his joke has made her smile. But she’s just staring at the passenger seat angrily as if it has done something to offend her.

“Why did you want me to tell Amy she’s pretty?” Jake asks her.

Andi kicks the seat again. “‘Cos it was part of the plan.” She mutters.

“A plan you and Melissa made together?” He prompts.

Andi nods.

“And the plan involved roses?”

Another nod.

Jake smiles to himself, putting two and two together. “I’m sorry your party didn’t go to plan, honey. How about I stop on the way home and get roses. We can give them to Amy and Mel together next time we see them.

This manages to make Andi smile despite herself. “Okay. Can we get ice cream too?”

Jake grins back at his daughter. “It’s your birthday! Of course we can!”

* * *

They’ve no sooner arrived home - roses, ice cream, and all the presents from today in tow - than Jake’s phone rings. 

It’s Amy.

“Hey Ames,” he answers, shutting the door behind him.

“Hey, is it okay if we come over?” She asks him. “Melissa hasn’t stopped crying since we got home. She wants to say sorry to Andi and be friends again.”

“Yeah, of course, come over now.” Jake replies. “I think Andi would like that.” And if he’s honest, he wouldn’t mind seeing Amy again either.

* * *

Andi and Melissa embrace each other they moment she’s walked through the door, both of them hugging and crying and saying that they want to be friends forever.

“Hey girls, you know what real sisters do?” Amy tells them.

They look up at her, blotchy red faces and wide eyes. 

“They fight. All the time. So this makes you sisters for real.”

Andi and Melissa exchange looks. “Really?” They ask Amy together.

She nods. “Really.”

Squealing happily, they skip off to Andi’s room to play with all her new presents.

Amy throws herself onto the couch with Jake. “Wow. What a day, hey?”

He laughs. “Tell me about it.”

“Wine?” She asks, already getting up to help herself from Jake’s fridge. 

“You don’t even need to ask.” He replies, as she hands him a glass and hops back onto the couch next to him - close enough that their thighs are touching.

“So word on the street is that you think I’m pretty.” Amy says after taking a sip of wine. “Sorry,  _ very _ pretty.”

Jake snorts. “Yeah I’ve heard that rumour.” He smiles at her. She is  _ very _ pretty.

Amy spots the bouquet of roses sitting on the table by the door. “Aww did you buy me roses?” She fake swoons. 

“Yeah, I think the girls might have been trying to set us up,” Jake tells her.

“Oh they definitely were.” Amy says, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket. “They made a whole Parent Trap.” She passes the plan to Jake, who reads it, amused.

“Oh man,” he says as he finishes, “this is so cute.”

“Right!” Amy squeals, looking at him adoringly. “Don’t we just have the best kids?”

“Seriously the best. I lucked out on that one, but you, Ames, she’s all you.” Jake says softly.

Amy feels herself blush. “You’re too modest, Jake.” She tells him tenderly. “I don’t think I’ve ever met a kid who loves their dad as much as Andi loves you.”

Jake - highly aware their kids are just in the other room, and highly aware that they’d both said this was a bad idea, and highly aware that if he kissed her now he’d want to kiss her again - leans closer.

“Jake,” she breathes, a small smile on her face. “Are you-”

“Yes,” he interrupts her, and she laughs gently.

Before he can move any closer, a sharp, stinging pain explodes on the side of his face, and he jumps back, swearing. “Shit! What was that?!”

Andi and Melissa burst out laughing from the kitchen - completely unaware of what they’d just interrupted - and run towards the couch, picking up the fallen plastic arrow they’d just shot Jake with.

“Hey, come on, guys,” Jake says to them, “not the face.”

The girls just giggle in reply, and Amy can’t help but laugh too.

“Oh not you too!” He exclaims, whacking her playfully with one of the couch cushions.

“I’m sorry but you’re gonna have a big red mark on your face and look so stupid.” She tells him through her giggles.

“Girls,” Jake says, passing them each a couch cushions as he looks at Amy playfully, “attack!”

“No, girls, no-!” Amy protests, but they become lost as she reaches for another cushion to defend herself, and turns the girls on Jake.

A full blown pillow fight (which spills both the glasses of wine they’d set aside on the coffee table) breaks out, and they shout and shriek and laugh until they’ve exhausted themselves.

* * *

“I think all in all that definitely goes on the good birthday list.” Jake whispers, shutting Andi’s bedroom, as she and Melissa sleep soundly.

He and Amy creep back to the couch. “You know you’re never gonna get that wine stain out,” she says to him - delaying the inevitable conversation.

“I’ll just turn the cushion over. Problem solved.” Jake says and Amy shakes her head exasperatedly at him.

“What if you get a stain on that side too?!” She teases.

“Oh shit, I  _ do _ already have a stain on that side!” Jake realises. “I’ll just have to buy another one I guess… or just dye the whole thing that exact red.”

Amy laughs and Jake smiles affectionately at her.

“That’s a terrible way to manage things, Jake!” She tells him.

“I mean, it’s got me this far, hasn’t it?”

A silence falls between them; Amy watching him intently. “Are we going to talk about… before?” She finally asks.

“Yes, I know I still have a red mark on the side of my face.” Jake says jokily.

“Jake,” Amy murmurs, “you know what I mean.”

Jake bites his lip. “Yeah, sorry. I, uh, I don’t know what to do.”

Amy shuffles closer to him and looks down at his lips. There’s a pause in which the world stands still. She looks back up at him. “Neither do I.” 

She’s waiting for him, he knows it, and he finally kisses her, pulling her onto his lap, and she’s kissing him back passionately, arms wrapped around his neck. It’s so different from the soft kiss of a few months ago, there’s an urgency and heat to it.

_ God, why didn’t he kiss her sooner. _

His lips leave her mouth only to trail down her neck, and he only pauses to let her pull his shirt over his head.

“Ames,” he murmurs against her lips.

“Yeah?” He can feel her smiling.

“I really like you.”

“I got that, you idiot.”

He pulls away just to look at her smiling face. “Do you wanna-” he starts after a moments

“Yeah,” she says softly. 

They fumble their way off the couch and quietly pass Andi’s bedroom, and slip into Jake’s room, shutting the door behind them.

* * *

He fiddles with Amy’s hair as they lie beside one another in his bed.

She watches him, wondering what’s going on inside his head.

“Jake?”

He turns to her. “Yeah, Ames?”

“That wasn’t a mistake, was it?”

He shakes his head. “No, I’ve made mistakes before and  _ that  _ definitely didn’t feel like one.”

Amy gives a snort of laughter. “So are we just saying screw it then? Screw being friends, and just… go for it?” She asks him.

He looks at her, and kisses her softly. “Yeah, I think we should… but we both agree-”

“-Don’t tell the kids.” Amy finishes for him. “Oh, yeah, definitely.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope yall enjoyed! imma be honest and say that the next update probably won't be for another month. but i promise that i will NOT leave it longer than that. im also gonna let you guys know that we're roughly half way through the story. it's the end of first grade and i will probably end it mid/end of second grade.  
> please leave comments friends!

**Author's Note:**

> comments much appreciated! will update asap x


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